


Succession

by Albion19



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 19:53:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 126,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7905493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Albion19/pseuds/Albion19
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fourteenth in line for the Bennett coven throne Bonnie imagines a quiet but scholarly life but this is impossible following a family tragedy. In a society where arranged marriages between covens is common practise Bonnie deals with the mysterious Malachai Parker, who may be the root of all her troubles... Bonkai. AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Wedding

_**a.n:** _

_In this story I'm ageing up Liv and Luke, they're about five years younger than Jo and Kai._

* * *

**The Dress**

The annual _Samhain Ball_ , this year held by the Martin witches, is the event of the year and greatly anticipated. Covens across the country prepare for the occasion weeks in advance, painstakingly creating dresses and sending designs to coven tailors. Each year the gathered would dazzle in their attire, proclaiming their skill, a testament to their coven.

Bonnie Bennett just hoped she would not trip over and set the top table on fire. At sixteen she is now of age and as tradition she and others from many different covens had to perform a small display of their magic, something that they had created themselves. This was the official entering into witch society, putting your name out there and hopefully making a case of interest for any potential employer. Or suitor.

 _Maybe I can make myself invisible, after I've set the coven leaders on fire of course…_ Bonnie frets at the seat below her, chewing on her lip as she stares out of the car window. Her cousin Lucy, next in line for the Bennett leadership, eyes her peripherally from the driver's seat. They're on their way to the mall, to pick up their dresses.

"Bonnie I swear if you singe the upholstery..." she warns as the smell of burning leather starts to fill the car. Bonnie gasps and then pats at the seat either side of her knees. Lucy shakes her head, smirking.

"Sorry."

"I still hear Grams screaming when you set out own damn cradle on fire. You had laughed, not a scorch mark on you."

"I can't help it, it's my element."

"I know, I know. Just promise me you won't combust if you don't like the dress...or if you do," she adds, laughing at Bonnie's thinning lips. She watches the shops flicking passed, not much to boast of in Mystic Falls but the town had been home to Bennett witches for generations, though their actual coven headquarters is in Salem. There are many establishments that are invisible to the normal human eye and even the not so human. Vampires thrive in that small town like weeds, no matter how hard they prune.

Bonnie thinks of the strange people she had met while at High School over the last years and pushes them from her mind. Those brothers and their influence are gone, she just wishes that her friends since childhood had not drifted away too. She is a witch, she has a whole other life, one that she is just about to totally submerge into. Her old life, and the friends in it, are now on another shore. Not gone or barred, just distant.

She looks at Lucy as they drive fast, the lights a steady green and wonders how her older cousin can be so cool. The weight of responsibility must be heavy but more often than not you'll find Lucy in bars or getting into mischief with people that the coven leaders would frown upon.

_She's having fun while she can, can't blame her…if I had to marry someone I don't even know…and a freaky Gemini at that!_

Bonnie keeps her face impassive as they approach the mall but inside she is grateful that in the long line of Bennett's she is way down the list of succession. Fourteen to be exact. She will never have to endure the duty of her cousin or other leaders, her life will likely be simple but hopefully busy. She is going to be Grams apprentice at the university, a position that they both know she will one day claim. She is a small town witch and she wants it to stay that way.

Her stomach knots strangely but she ignores it as they reach their destination. The town square is busy, shoppers going about their business and do not give two witches a second glance. Lucy walks to a non descriptive door, one that normally leads to the back of the Mystic Grill. She places her hand against it for a moment, letting it recognise her before it swings backwards on its hinges and they walk into the bright depths of a vast mall, not a dark bar.

"Damn we should have gotten here earlier," Lucy says as they head into a throng of witches. The mall, no other name, is accessible from many different doors, a building that defies the laws of psychics, which is what any witch built building worth its salt should do of course. A huge dome ceiling made of coloured glass flickers, depicting many different coven sigils, casting warm light on marble floors. Through the air lights dart this way and that, flashing the names of many shops, beckoning you to follow. The storeroom apparently goes on forever, and there are tales of unaware assistants coming out weeks later, shell shocked, clutching silks and tape measures.

Bonnie focuses on Lucy's back, walking tall and straight and people part to let her pass. People know who she is but she earns that immediate respect, she has that energy around her. Bonnie lifts her chin and is pleased to see the people wait for her to pass too. They walk under an arch, into their coven's clothing premises and the music and chatter becomes muffled.

Lucy had promised to treat her to a dress, as she is of age and Bonnie had finally agreed. The dress she had picked for her is a surprise, Lucy had insisted. Anticipation rushing through her she watches as a sales assistant pushes two boxes wrapped with red velvet ribbons towards them, their names written on tags.

"No peeking until the day Bon Bons," Lucy stresses as Bonnie starts to loosen the ribbons.

"Please tell me it's not a loin cloth?"

"Come on, what do you take me for?" she asks with a wicked smile. Bonnie clutches the box to her chest. She had tried for the last week to get the truth from her but Lucy had kept her mouth shut. Seeing the uncertainty on her face her cousin relents and takes her arm.

"It's a dress fitting for someone so beautiful, I promise."

Bonnie smiles, a bloom of warmth spreading through her. She points at the box in Lucy's hand. "What did you get?"

"A loin cloth, duh. Gotta make an impression on my future husband," she adds, rolling her eyes. Lucy has been prepared and tutored for leadership from a young age but she has always made her distaste for the arranged marriage that all covens partake in. It strengthens ties between them, when before all they did was fight. She could refuse, of course, but then the leadership would pass onto the next in line, her sister. Lucy wants that throne and she makes no bones about it.

"I'm sure this Luke person is okay."

Lucy opens her mouth, about to speak but closes it, looking away with smile and a small shrug. "Whoever it is..." Bonnie looks after her, blinking. For a moment misery had flashed across Lucy's face.

 _She's just nervous, as I would be. Jittery, that's all,_ Bonnie tells herself and almost believes it. As she follows to catch up she looks over the passing crowd and spots someone watching Lucy head for the exit. He is young, tall, lithe and handsome but dressed like any mallrat in America, though at least one from twenty years prior. He sits on a banister with a slushy in one hand and a skateboard in the other, a fifty foot drop below him. He leans back, utterly unconcerned and takes the chewed straw between his teeth. Blue eyes, previously curious, look away, dismissive before falling on her. He blinks and then intensely watches her pass with a warm smile. Feeling emboldened by her proximity to Lucy, and a heavy dose of attraction, she stares back sardonically, arching an eyebrow.

_Yeah keep looking boy._

Soft lips curl into a smirk as she looks away and follows Lucy back out into Mystic Falls. A breeze plays over her hot face and Lucy tilts her head, eyes narrowing playfully as she places the boxes in the trunk.

"You're flushed. What are you grinning at?"

"Nothing. Just some stupid boy."

"Oh, I see…" Lucy laughs, walking to her car and Bonnie ignores her, pressing the back of her hand to her cheek. She is not blushing over a stranger, she has a boyfriend and she stopped blushing over him months ago.

Which is the problem.

* * *

**The Halloween Ball**

October 31st dawns cold and crisp. Multitudes of brown and red leaves scatter from trees, blowing over boots and pilling in corners begging to be jumped in. This is Bonnie's favourite season, one that can make the most of her comfy wardrobe. Comfy, not drab thank you very much Caroline.

Standing in front her floor length mirror Bonnie wonders what her bubbly friend would say if she saw her now. She may even leave her speechless, well at least for thirty seconds. It hurts that she cannot share this side of herself with her friends but it is part of their strict code. She had meddled in the affair of vampires for her friend's sake and her grandmother had almost paid the price. She will not repeat those mistakes...but maybe taking one sneaky picture wouldn't hurt…

Lucy had not tricked her and gifted her with a napkin or even a onesie, as she had started to suspect. A pale blue ball gown, made from layers of soft silk organza, billow from her hips, the bodice snug, her shoulders bare. As she stands in a beam of sunshine she swishes the skirts from side to side and a faint opalescent sheen ripples through the fabric. It is simple and elegant, looking more like a wedding dress than anything.

 _What if it is?_ Bonnie stills, the smile frozen on her face. What if this _had_ been meant for her cousin, maybe a discarded design for her upcoming wedding to her unknown spouse? Would Lucy do that? Bonnie shakes her head, scolding herself.

"She's like a foot taller than me. Stop overthinking. I look...good - _great_ ," she admits, inhaling deeply and nods. "Now I just have to promise myself not to screw my presentation up."

She had been practising with Grams for weeks and she was as ready she was ever going to be.

* * *

"Child stop fretting," Sheila Bennett urges as they line up with a crowd of witches. The ball, like the mall, is accessed through doorways placed throughout the country. So the exact position of both places is a mystery to Bonnie. Not that she cares right now.

"The more you tell me to stop the more it happens Grams," Bonnie grumbles, trying not to scrunch the dress in her sweaty hands. She has been attending this ball for as long as she can remember but never in such a public way. Never before had she been the centre of attention but tonight she will be.

"Five minutes Bonnie, just a few moments and it'll be over. It's normal to be nervous child but I have faith in you. You'll do just fine," Grams smiles at her encouragingly and Bonnie nods, trying to believe it. As a pair of witches from New Orleans are announced she and Grams pause, waiting for their names to be called. Lucy had entered earlier, with the other future leaders.

"Sheila Bennett is accompanied by her granddaughter Bonnie Bennett," there is a smattering of polite applause as she and Grams pass through the plush red curtains and enter the hall. Hundreds of witches gather around the room, densely packed around the mirrored walls so the crowd appears double, more dancing in the centre. Through a set of ceiling high doors a dining room waits, long tables festooned with pumpkins, candles and turning crystal chandeliers. It is a beautiful spectacle but Bonnie, who has seen it many times, hardly notices as she and Grams shake the hosts' hands. Jonas and Lila Martin smile and greet them warmly, while their children Luka and Greta shake their hands quickly with a muted welcome. Luka squeezes Bonnie's hand overlong, eyes widening as he recognises her and Bonnie smiles quickly in greeting, avoiding eye contact. Greta laughs quietly at her brother and Bonnie is free.

"Chill. You haven't even gotten her a ring yet."

"Shut up," he hisses as Bonnie and Grams head further into the ballroom. Grams smirks at Bonnie's mortified face. For as long as she can remember she and Luka have been jokingly told that they would be paired off together, which Bonnie had dismissed but now that she is older and Luka's interest in her became more apparent the prospect seems less unlikely.

"I'm not marrying Luka Martin," Bonnie says under her breath.

"It's not a bad match, he's a powerful witch and seems decent," Lucy replies as she appears in front of them. She wears a clinging red velvet dress, rubies circling her throat. She eyes Bonnie up and down, smiling happily. "You look amazing."

"So do you!" Bonnie hugs her briefly and watches as her cousin mingles. She looks up and smiles. The ceiling ripples with fire, a calm lake of it, lapping at the walls but never spreading. The ballroom is split into two, one half dedicated to the dance floor with small tables dotted around the walls while at the top of the room two long tables stand upon two plinths, one set higher than the other. Here the coven leaders and future leaders sit, though now most of them are mingling. Anna Bennett, her coven leader and Lucy's mother, talks to Liv and Luke Parker. The twins, both blonde and in their late twenties, look miserable. Liv, with her masses of curly blonde hair, looks like she is eating nettles, her eyes burning while Luke looks dazed as he listens to Anna talk. She has never spoken to either, they probably have no idea who she is but she is curious. She knows that leadership is meant to be passed down when the Gemini twins reach 22, otherwise their coven's magic begins to weaken. They're now pushing 30. Strange but not unheard of. Bonnie looks away from this private moment and sees Vincent Griffith, the Regent of New Orleans, sidling up to Lucy and whispering in her ear. Her cousin turns with shining eyes.

 _Oh, I see_... _but he's betrothed to another_ , Bonnie recalls with a sinking feeling. Clearly some rearranging is in order because she can clearly see when two people are in love. But tradition and prophecy dictate that the next match is between a Bennett and a Parker, which is nonsense as far as Bonnie is concerned. So what if some ancient prophecy foretells calamity if this arrangement is ignored? Okay so said calamity had befallen a few covens in the past when they turned their back on the tradition but it wasn't the end of the world. The prophecy sounds more and more like a curse to Bonnie.

As she and Grams find a table to sit at Bonnie watches her peers moving around her. Witch events like these are a prime time to make connections, share information and form alliances, especially for young witches. So far she has escaped the pressure of having to marry, her position within the Bennett coven too far down the line to worry about who she is paired with, no matter her ability. Also she is only 16, soon approaching 17; being someone's wife is the furthest thing from her mind. That is why the relationship between her and Jeremy has gone without question. Well her family has not said a word against it, since they started dating in highschool. Now, looking at the couples around her, sharing spells and secrets she wishes for a moment to have that kind connection, that drama, that heat. Just _something_...

_I could have that with Luka, I guess but he does nothing for me. Kinda like Jeremy now..._

Realising the connection she yearns for is decidedly romantic Bonnie guiltily looks at the menu, where the schedule is printed on the back. The coming of age ceremony will start in half an hour, to take place before the whole court. The year before she had been sick and missed the ball, so she had not seen the previous years' display. It had been one of the best, according to reports though one of the Parker's had not turned up, just sent a rabbit in a top hat instead. Or was it a rabbit wearing a top hat? The Geminis are a weird bunch so she is not surprised either way. Bonnie slaps the menu down, reaching for a glass of wine that has appeared on the table. She gulps it down as Sheila watches her sardonically for a moment before turning to speak to a witch from Mexico.

She drains the glass, a warning ringing her mind that she and alcohol don't mix but she ignores it. Just enough to dull her nerves, that's all. She rises, watching girls in gowns that float behind them on real breezes, flowers that smell sweet adorning their hair and gems that shine with magic. Bonnie looks down at her beautiful but plain dress and feels a little bare. Making sure to swish her hips a little she skirts the edge of the dance floor, watching as the music reaches a crescendo and the dancers float up in the air for a moment before descending gracefully into the waiting arms of their partners.

Bonnie smiles, clapping along with the rest. Once upon a time these gatherings would descend into an orgy, a hedonistic outpouring of power but now it has become something refined and managed. Bonnie finds it romantic but wonders what those dances were truly like in the old days, likely more similar to the small coven parties that she has been to. _Those_ are fun but usually broken up before any real damage is done.

Bonnie catches her reflection in a mirror and swears under her breath as she notices that a few curls of hair has slipped from a pin. She and Grams had spent a long time braiding and pinning her hair up off her neck, slotting small posies of baby's breath around the dark tresses. As she fusses with her hair, a silver pin clenched between her teeth, she sees Luka making a beeline for her and the candles framing the mirror flare upwards. The pin falls to the ground.

"Oh no," she moves towards a door to her left, which leads onto a balcony, one that looks like it rings the massive building she is in. They had walked through a door in Gram's office to get here and now below her Bonnie can see a lake rippling, a snow capped mountain in the distance as the sun sets. Shivering and wishing she had taken her coat she moves into the shadows as Luka pokes his head around the door, searching for her before he withdraws, looking a little disappointed.

 _I gotta tell him, set him straight_ , she thinks but waits for another minute until the coast is clear. As she moves from the shadows a gasp of pain punctures the air and Bonnie frowns, looking around a pillar to see two figures under a potted tree. A woman in a short blue dress is on her knees, grimacing in pain while a man holds her wrists, his back to her. The dark haired woman swears and he laughs.

Bonnie does not think, she just reacts. " _Motus_!" she yells and the man is blasted off his feet, slamming against the balustrade and the woman spills to the ground, gasping for breath. Bonnie prowls forward, concerned eyes on the lady, who gets on her knees. Another curse forms on Bonnie's tongue as the man stands.

"Stop, don't hex him," she begs and her eyes are a striking blue. She appears in her mid thirties or so.

"But he was _hurting you_ ," Bonnie replies, reaching down to help the witch to her feet, warily watching the young man. He is dressed in a black suit and blazer, white shirt gleaming brightly in the dark but as he comes into the light Bonnie's hand trembles.

_It's the boy from the mall._

Gone are the jean-jacket and chucks but the amused smirk on his face is still the same. Getting a better look at his hairless face she sees she is mistaken, he is older than he first appeared, early twenties. There is just something boyish about him. The smirk on his face grows broader as recognition enters his eyes. The woman steps before him, hands still up.

"He's my brother. My name is Jo."

"He wasn't hurting you?"

"...No."

"First time for everything."

"Shut up Kai," Jo snaps and her brother smirks again. His eyes never leave Bonnie's face, his gaze thoughtful. Jo draws her attention, though she finds it hard to look away from him. "Okay I was in pain but it's just an unfortunate side effect."

"Of what?" she asks but gets no answer. Jo looks at her brother before Kai answers.

"Siphoning."

Bonnie inhales sharply and says nothing. The ability to siphon magic from others is not something anyone admits to, a rare and frowned upon practise. It only affects witches from the Gemini coven and from what she has heard they treat those members with disgust and dismissal. Bonnie stares from Jo to her brother, who still regards her carefully.

"Why tell me?"

"Because you look totally trustworthy. I think it's all the white," he answers with a smile, motioning at her dress and Jo rolls her eyes.

"Listen it was a mutual exchange. He got magic, I got what I wanted. No one needs to know. Thank you for sending him on his ass but I'm okay, I promise," Jo stares at her intensely and after a while Bonnie nods. She does not know what happened but there is no fear around the woman.

Jo turns around to Kai, who finally tears his eyes off Bonnie. "Behave yourself," she orders and he crosses his heart as she moves away, back to the ballroom.

"Same time next year?"

Jo doesn't answer, just flips him the bird over her shoulder before she disappears through the doorway. Kai chuckles and turns his attention back to Bonnie. She frowns and he pouts.

"You're confused. I'm from the Gemini coven and even though me and Josette are twins we actually only see each other at these events. It's common practice in my coven to separate twins at birth."

Bonnie blinks, even more confused. "Your twin? She's at least ten years older than you." He has to be lying.

"That's what I keep telling her but she keeps slapping me every time I bring it up," he hums and then shrugs. "I had a time out," he explains, which explains nothing and Bonnie shakes her head, trying to clear it.

"Why are twins separated?"

"Makes the whole merge ordeal less emotional or something. So we only really get to see each other at these social soirées, aside from birthdays but that's just too awkward, even for me," he widens his eyes comically, inching closer and Bonnie narrows her eyes at him. He's a smartass, a fantasist judging by the weird twin lie and talks in maddening riddles but that sounds awful.

"...I'm sorry?" she offers, not really sure if it is needed. He does not seem the least bit troubled by this predicament. Kai shrugs, hands in his pockets and begins walking around her. "I haven't seen you at one of these before."

"Busy," he answers carelessly.

"But we have met," she says without thinking. He makes it hard to.

"Hmm care to refresh my mind?"

"You were slurping on a slushy at the time."

His pink lips ring in remembrance "Oh yeah! I was checking on my future consort," he says lightly, smiling and coldness floods Bonnie. Consort? She stares at his smooth grinning face and realisation dawns on her like an icy cascade.

"You're in line for the Gemini leadership."

"...That's my other siblings. Luke and Liv," he answers and the friendliness switches off from his face in a blink. Now he is stone cold. "You might know them? Blonde and freakishly short."

Bonnie furrows her brows, trying to make sense of it. "So you're not actually in line for anything?" That coven only selects twins, Kai is not one, no matter what he says. Jo is clearly older than him.

"I was. My father didn't take my _mutation_ too well. So now the spares are the heirs," he smiles, looking aside. Bonnie can feel the anger in him, one that he hides well. But then his previous statement about why he had been at the mall comes back to her and she narrows her eyes suspiciously.

"You said you were at the mall to spy on Lucy. You think you're gonna marry the next leader of that coven? You're crazy," she scoffs. Kai grins, standing too close. She keeps her ground.

"Look at this, you know me so well already, though I don't even know your name."

 _Please, you probably know what the name of my favourite teddy is_. Bonnie, amused at this strange guy she sent into the dirt, cocks her head. "Guess."

His face breaks into a delighted grin and he rocks on his heels. "I will Sherlock the shit out of you. Okay, so," he grows serious, or tries to, narrowing his eyes. "Pretending I never saw you before this night and going by the judgemental beat down I just got I'm gonna hazard a guess that you're of the Bennett variety."

"Correct."

He smiles in accomplishment but lifts a finger as she is about to tell him her name. "Now you're wearing a purple ribbon around your wrist, which means that today is your coming of age day. _Congratulations_ ," he says with utmost sarcasm and Bonnie gives him a heavy lidded look as he continues. "So you've recently turned 16. Happy belated birthday Miss Bennett. So your aunt is the Bennett coven leader, who has one other sister: Sheila Bennett, along with a boat load of brothers. I happened to see you arrive with her before you were introduced. Your mom couldn't make it?" he asks innocently, too innocently and Bonnie scowls at him. Her mother had abandoned her at a young age, her and everything else to do with being a witch.

"No, couldn't yours?"

"She's dead," he answers conversationally and Bonnie cringes but Kai carries on talking like nothing had happened. "You're Sheila's granddaughter."

"Correct again but I doubt you'll know my name. No one knows who I am."

"Small town witch huh? Must be nice," he says wistfully and then leans close to her, eyes intense. "If I get your name right will you dance with me later?"

"No."

"If I get it wrong will you dance with me?"

"...Maybe."

He grins and she cannot help but grin back. _Stop, you have a boyfriend and this guy is weird, you can't deny it._ She senses it, recalling the manic grin on his face as he siphoned from his sister even as she cried out in pain. He's a charming snake and wants to twist around her. Her heart beats hard but not with fear. Bonnie steps away, head thrown back a little as she gives him a once over before patting dust off his shoulder.

"Sorry but not tonight," he might not be next in line but he is likely higher up the ladder than her. He will have someone waiting in the wings, likely since birth. Or maybe being a siphoner changes that?

Kai smiles softly, inclining his head after a moment. "You're right. Now isn't the time...will you come to the wedding?"

"Sure but only because it's happening between your family and mine," she does not know much of anything about how the Gemini coven select their leaders, only that the twins have to pass some kind of test. So either Liv or Luke will survive but the word is that Luke is immensely more powerful and sure to win. That must be a terrible burden, Bonnie considers.

"I'll make sure of it. We'll have that dance Bonnie," his promise is darkly assured and for all his youth something beyond his years shows on his face. He is powerful, no matter how he gets his magic. Bonnie turns on her heel, something inside her pulsing with a lusty hot strength. She walks to the door, knowing with each step that his eyes are burning a hole in her. She does not look back.

* * *

The display begins shortly after her encounter with the odd Geminis. She had almost been late for her own initiation, great. However the previous anxiety that had plagued her for weeks has morphed into a giddiness, likely spurned by her violent confrontation. The floor is clear but for a single witch, spectators lining the walls as the coven leaders and heirs watch from their seats, including the Gemini twins. The blondes look bored and sullen, their other siblings now sitting around them along with their father Joshua, the current Gemini leader. Kai smiles sweetly at his older brother Luke, who looks pale before staring at the floor.

The witch now performing throws his hands into the air and a cloud forms over their heads, rumbling thunder and flickering lightning. Weather manipulation. People clap as rain sizzles before falling on them. A beam of light breaks through the clouds, shining on the coven leaders and the crowd cheers. Bonnie rolls her eyes as she claps, though a smile stretches her mouth. She had missed a few displays, which she is grateful for because she is starting to doubt her performance piece. Well too late now. One more person before her and then she is next.

The witch, a red headed girl, walks stiffly onto the floor, accompanied by polite claps which die down. She stands there, not moving and then with a tiny squeak she disappears. Bonnie blinks, thinking she has turned invisible before a shrill scream makes her jump and people point at the ground. A red haired mouse scurries away from the floor and people move aside, careful not to step on the escaping shapeshifting witch. Laughter echoes around the room but Bonnie does not join them. Maybe they think it was part of her act but maybe not. As they clap and talk to each other Bonnie suddenly feels someone at her back, a hand wringing her arm and hot breath against her cheek.

"You're next Bonnie. Told ya I'd guess your name," his voice whispers in her ear and then the heat of him against her back is gone as another voice calls her name. Bonnie blinks, staring at the now empty floor and inhaling a deep breath she steps forward.

For years to come the performance would be talked about from coven to coven, written about in books and talked about in reports. If they could look into her mind all they would be able to discern are the thoughts _Kai_ and _screw him_.

Bonnie closes her eyes, calming herself and lifts her head. All the lights around the room wink out, the fire above burning into nothing, making those gathered gasp in surprise before those noises turn into ones of delight. Confused Bonnie opens her eyes. _I haven't even started yet_ , she thinks but then she looks down at her dress.

It is no longer white. In the dark of the room her previous plain dress twinkles like fine blue starlight. She stares at her reflection in the mirror and notes that even the tiny white flowers in her hair shines. She glows like some strange and beautiful florescent deep sea creature. Bonnie spins around slowly, staring down at herself, lost in the surprise. One person is not surprised and Bonnie looks up with a smile, catching Lucy grinning at the table. She winks and Bonnie laughs.

"Wow, upstaged by a dress. I should just go huh?"

People laugh and she inhales again, concentrating as she lifts her hands, placing them close together and then drawing them apart slowly. In the space between her palms a spark appears, growing larger until a ball of fire drifts between her hands. She flicks her hands out and the fireball flies up into the air where it hangs like a miniature sun. Fire is her element, sometimes it feels like it controls her but right now she wields it completely.

The sun spins slowly, sending small fire bursts outwards, casting rays and shadows along the walls. As Bonnie does, sparkling in her dress. As she lifts her hands and sprawls her fingers out a tinkling sound is heard and with another gasp from the crowd silver cutlery, empty plates and glasses lift from tables and begin to spin around the sun, caught in it's gravity. Bonnie lets herself glance at the crowd and then the top table. Everyone watches with childlike wonder, all eyes on the magic. Except for one. Kai stares at her, head tilting to the side and then with the faintest smirk her magic starts to change.

The sun flares with a sudden brightness, sending a hot pulse through the room and the smiles start to falter as the spinning debris begin to move faster and faster, circling the sun as it flashes and boils dangerously.

_What the hell. This isn't me._

The magic sustaining her fire is stable, it should not be out of control but it is. The crowd move back, some still laughing, thinking it part of her act but when the sun suddenly gives a huge burst the crowd duck, screaming as it harmlessly explodes and darkness fills the room. For a breathless moment there is silence, only panting in the dark but then the knives and forks begin to clutter and from the now eerie blue glow from Bonnie's dress she sees that the sun has not truly gone, it's just collapsed on itself. A black hole. Wind rushes through the room, sucking in the silverware and then chairs flip over and tumble towards the darkness, some hitting people as they try to run. Panic suddenly bursts alive throughout the room.

"Wait! Stop! This isn't me!" Bonnie screams, her spell finished long ago but still the room shakes and spins madly and witches head for the exits but some stay, moving towards the maelstrom with harsh faces, hands outstretched. Bonnie, crouching on the ground watches as the leader of the Gemini coven, his face thunderous, cuts his arm visually through the air, barking out two words.

" _Phasmatos oculix!_ "

Kai Parker suddenly appears behind the black hole, his hands outstretched, but as soon as he sees that he has been caught he lowers them and grins.

"Oops."

Bonnie, beyond appalled, watches as the destruction that had sent people screaming disappears in a blink, sending the contents of the room to land in a pile in the centre of the dance floor. Kai's father roars his son's name, chest billowing like an angry bull but Bonnie does not care.

Hurt squeezes her chest, humiliation making her throat tight and tears prick her eyes. She feels hands on her shoulders and her grandmother's soothing words in her ears but she only has eyes for Kai. Before he and the rest of his coven cloak themselves he stares at her and the giddy smile on his face dims and she thinks for a just a moment he looks disappointed.

Then he and his family are gone.

* * *

**The Wake**

After the disastrous Halloween ball Bonnie does not run into Kai Parker or any member of the Gemini coven for years. After the embarrassing spectacle they seem to have gone into hiding, avoiding all social events and Joshua only attending emergency summits with other covens if dire enough. She assumes the Gemini coven still meets in secret, though she can only guess what they get up to. The enter act at the ball had been an illusion, a speciality of that particular coven but it took Bonnie a long time to get over the hurt. Why had he done such a thing, when she had been under the impression that he was flirting with her? But it soon came to light.

"He's a certified psycho," Lucy explains with relish and Grams thins her lips but says nothing. "That's why you hardly see him, most of use didn't even know he existed. His family don't want him to cause trouble I bet."

"Well they failed. Lucky it's not him you have to marry then?"

"Or any Parker, if luck _is_ on our side," Lucy answers. She wants to be with the Regent of New Orleans and Bonnie hopes it works out somehow.

"Joshua Parker is growing older, weaker and that affects all the members linked to him. A new leader must be chosen and soon," Grams says, stirring sugar into her coffee. She looks troubled but just pats Bonnie's cheek when she tries to get answers.

"Don't worry yourself child, I'm sure it will come together in the end..."

Soon thinking on that strange family is overshadowed by exams and graduation until she finds herself a college graduate and with a job that keeps her as busy as she suspected it would.

She is content.

* * *

"Luke Parker is dead!"

"What? No way!"

"A sudden illness, according to reports but all scoop is saying that he killed himself."

This news is met with a sad gasp and Bonnie freezes in the hallway, next to a dorm room filled with freshman. Whitmore College houses only students learning the craft, though these witches could learn to burn some more sage.

"He was next in line for the Gemini leadership, if he won but I guess he couldn't take the stress. That's probably why they kept putting the merge off. That poor family..." a high pitched voice says with mock concern and Bonnie shakes her head. She had never spoken to Luke but she remembers the trouble clear in his blue eyes. Kai's brother…

"So his sister is the leader now huh?"

"Nope. I just said they didn't do the weird ritual. So they need another set of twins _asap_!"

There are more whispers and chatter, mostly about the tragedy of it all and what they will do. Bonnie tries not to think abut Kai but her mind wanders to him constantly. He seems to have been missing for years, which is normal according Lucy. The family could hide for decades and no one would bat an eye. They take that cloaking technique to a next level but for all of that they are one of the most powerful and eldest covens in the world. Probably because they keep out of trouble, unless provoked.

To have all that riding on the shoulders of twins is not only mad but dangerously foolish. Bonnie begins walking back to her office, mind whirling. For the rest of the day, in fact the entire week all she hears about is Luke Parker's death and what the ramifications are for their secretive coven.

"Why pick leaders that way? It's insane."

 _Maybe it's like the marriages, maybe they're cursed...explains the crazy too_. The entire coven is cracked but she supposes the Bennett-Parker nuptials are dead in the water. Lucy will have to find someone else. Sighing Bonnie focuses on writing up lecture notes but her mind strays to events that happened years ago and the mystery of the present.

* * *

The funeral had been a small affair but as is customary the memorial and wake is open to all invited covens. Bonnie is sent a handwritten invitation from Joshua Parker himself. He must still feel ashamed for his son's behaviour. She supposes someone has to, because Kai certainly doesn't seem to.

Pushing down a flare of ire at the memory Bonnie stands in a simple black dress with her coven as Jo Parker speaks quietly, her gaze steady but tear rimmed. Liv Parker stands beside her father, her eyes utterly vacant. Bonnie wonders if she is on any medication but then all thought is blasted from her mind as her eyes drift to the end of the Gemini coven and lands on a man she has not seen in years.

Kai Parker has not aged a day. He stands with his hands in the pockets of his black pants, staring at the large picture of his brother. He appears sad, though no tears touch his eyes but as Jo starts to cry Bonnie catches his subtle eye roll before he gives his sister a small smile but it does not reach his eyes. Jo Parker, unlike her brother, has gotten older. Is he a vampire? It would explain his callousness too. What is going on?

Bonnie tears her eyes away when he suddenly catches sight of her and the contact is electric. Bonnie's heart pounds and her body flares with heat, a heat sparked by rage and _something_ else. Having seen her he spends the next twenty minutes constantly staring, hardly noticing when his family speaks to him and the warmth spreading through her reaches her face.

_Stop it, I'm not a teenager any more. He's practically a stranger. Emphasis on strange._

But after the words had been said and tears dried the covens make their way to a tent pitched on the Parker's lush lawn. Portland is rainy but today the skies are a spotless blue. Bonnie follows Lucy, who is hand in hand with Vincent. The two are not official but it is only time. The potential union with the Parkers now seems a lifetime ago.

As the smell of food and music surrounds her a hand grips her elbow and she is tugged back.

"Hey!"

"If you go in there I might never see you again," Kai says, drawing her along the tent wall, away from the guests lining up until they are hidden from view. Bonnie rips her arm away and he stops, turning to her. Up close her assessment that he has not aged rings true but he does look a little different. Stubble covers his face and he appears to have put on more muscle. He looks like a man.

"What do you want?"

"No condolences?" he asks, offended at her coldness and Bonnie's stomach squeezes.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for your loss, truly but I don't want to speak to you."

"Why not?" he frowns, looking upset and Bonnie almost laughs.

"Why? Hmm maybe it has something to do with my presentation going supernova?"

"I was just joking around," he says with a shrug, leaning forward with a winning smile. Bonnie shakes her head, snarling.

"You embarrassed me, I was a teenager, and for what? Because I pushed you over? Because I found out what you were?" she had tried to reason why he had sabotaged her display and this is the only reason she can logically accept. Pay back. The other is that he did it for a laugh and that makes her feel sick and unbalanced.

Kai tilts his head. "I told you what I was, at great risk to my reputation by the way."

Bonnie scoffs. "I'm sure it must be crystal clear."

"Pretty much. My coven doesn't get into a lot of mischief you know. Except amongst ourselves," he adds thoughtfully and then focuses on her. His gaze becomes soft, tracing her features.

"I never said but you looked beautiful that night."

"Because of the dress?"

"Because for your first display you decided to literally play god. You created light."

Bonnie rolls her eyes even as something within her leaps pleasantly at the compliment. She scowls at him. "And you destroyed it."

"It was just a trick, I'm sorry okay? I might not get another chance to say this so there, that's my apology."

"Not accepted," she fires back, turning around but he takes her arm again, pulling her back. His touch burns and she inhales sharply, expecting him to suck her magic but he does not.

"They let me out on compassionate grounds before, to stupid balls and yearly events, so as not to draw suspicion but this time I'm not going back," he whispers harshly. Bonnie shakes her head.

"Back? Where?"

"It doesn't matter. I just want what's rightfully mine, my birthright," he says, as if trying to reason with her but Bonnie is lost. A noise makes her turn and she sees Jo Parker approaching them, her face white and furious.

"What are you still doing here? We agreed you would leave once the ceremony was over."

"But the DJ is playing my song!" he whines and Jo growls and Kai is suddenly slammed against the wall of the tent. He laughs, falling to his knees.

"You don't do this here, not after what you did," she hisses, pointing her finger at him and the smile on his face falls.

"I had nothing to do with his death. How could I have?"

"Liar. You did something, I know you did and he killed himself because of it," Jo utters shakily and Bonnie wants to look away, to leave them but she is rooted to the ground.

Kai shakes his head. "Maybe he just couldn't take the pressure, ever think of that? He died so Liv could, well live," he adds, the corner of his lips twitching. "Not everything is my fault sissy."

"You're full of shit," Jo stares at Kai suspiciously but he catches Bonnie's confused gaze as he gets to his feet. He sighs, looking back at his sister with effort.

"I don't expect you to believe me, what with my awesome track record but I didn't kill him. The only sibling I wish would die is you."

How those words can be said without even the tiniest bit of threat or hate in them bewilders Bonnie. He sounds completely sincere and reasonable and Jo nods with a sardonic smile.

"Right back at you asshole," she replies and eyes Bonnie before turning on her heel, walking away from them. Bonnie, incredibly confused and disturbed looks back at Kai.

"What the hell is going on? Are you all crazy?"

"Pretty much. Don't worry yourself, it's just coven business."

Business? God she needs to get away from him, from his entire family. She begins walking after Jo, thinking about the many flumes of alcohol that have her name written on them when something makes her stop, tugging her back gently.

"Dance with me? I did get your name right..." his arms circle her, and she is pressed against his body for one heart stopping moment before he turns her around. Hands clasping hers Bonnie twirls right out of them, making him laugh.

"There. Quick and to the point," she does a little mock curtsey and after a moment he bows formally, his mouth pursing in bemusement. Bonnie inspects his face, thinking about what he said to Jo. "...Are you really twins?"

"Yup."

"You suspended your ageing? She grows older but you don't," she knows some witches do this, usually when they reach middle age but she has not heard of it happening to someone who appears to be so young. "How vain are you?"

Kai barks out a laugh. "It' a side effect. Look one day I will tell you my thrilling tale but a lady has to keep some of her secrets. It'll keep you keen," he bats his eyelashes and Bonnie glares, leaning back.

"So if you're telling the truth and you win this merge, you're gonna marry my cousin?" Bonnie laughs at the possibility. "She'd chew you up."

"Possibly...you jealous?" he asks suddenly and Bonnie flushes and snorts, about to fire back a retort when she realises where she is. Kai clearly does not care about his dead brother and though she did not know Luke she is not going to engage in flirtations while his family grieves meters away.

"Good bye Kai, hopefully we won't met again," she utters, walking away and lets herself cast a glance back when she gets to the entrance of the tent. Kai is gone, leaves fluttering through the air before settling.

* * *

The next time she sees him it is not years later but a matter of months and it is in a wake of more sudden and tragic deaths.

Jo Parker is dead, a handful of months after her younger brother. The details are sketchy but it seems she and Kai took part in the Merge ritual and she did not survive. Kai Parker, certifiable psychopath and possible murderer, is now the absolute leader of a two millennia old coven. Any doubts about being a twin is now mute but Bonnie barely thinks about him or his coven because it proceeds the worst day of her life.

Some called it an accident, others an assassination attempt but to Bonnie thirteen members of her family died suddenly in one fell swoop, so terribly that not even a body remained to be identified. Bonnie had clung to this hope, that they had found no bodies but Grams had gently dashed it. When a witch is born their name is written in a red book of life and a white book of death by cursed seers of each coven, a deeply responsible duty. All thirteen names appeared in the white book.

Grams comforts her as best she can but with the elders of their coven dead she is busy keeping the now confused and desperate witches together. The information is murky but all agree that a linking spell had gone terribly wrong, taking the most powerful of their coven with it. One had died, taking the rest with him. He had been old, they said, frail and prone to accidents but no measure of reason can make the pain less.

Their leader is dead and the line of succession withered on that vine. Lucy is gone, her cousins, her aunts and uncles…and her magic dies with them, buried and blocked under grief and shock. Bonnie drifts around her house in a daze, her father trying to talk to her but she hardly sees him, let alone hears him. Jeremy is an afterthought, a boy from a little girl's dream. What do they matter? For two months she exists in this foggy pain until one day her grandmother brings her out of it, but not with a warm ray of hope but with a blast of cold revelation.

"You know what this means child, don't you?"

"What?"

"Don't make me say it," she whispers, almost like a child herself and Bonnie grips her hand on the table. The kitchen is quiet, her favourite room. "If I say it then it'll have power and this you can't push away."

"It's okay. Just speak."

"Thirteen died Bonnie, thirteen and you were next. You're the last."

Bonnie blinks, the words taking a long time to sink in but when they do they slam into her with force, making her stand. "No! I can't be! I - I'm your granddaughter, not Anna's."

"Her line died with her," Grams says of her sister, tears in her eyes. "Its true marrying your grandfather, God rest him, disqualified me from leadership, a man with no magic but you...you're the next rightful ruler Bonnie."

"My mom?"

Grams inhales at the question and the tears overspill. "Does not have anything to do with this life and this life has shunned her in turn. I wish now that she had taken you with her to avoid this...but it has to be done," she stresses and through her sadness something angry takes root. Had she sensed this before in the murky weeks of mourning, this rage simmering under her grandmother's sadness?

"What is it?"

"It was not an accident Bonnie, I know it was not because one person witnessed it. The Regent was there, though he did not take part. He was there for Lucy…" she adds sadly. "He was attacked by someone he could not see, someone grabbed him and his magic was drained before he passed out. He survived, not his attacker's intention I'm sure. No one but you, me and Vincent knows this. The linking spell was something they had been working towards for months and one coven did not want it to happen, wanted to stop them."

"...The Gemini?"

Grams nods, angry lines around her mouth. "They are the only coven who can absorb magic from others, an affinity for cloaking themselves like cowards. We had suspected that they had stolen a Bennett spell, used it for their own ends, used it for something it was never meant to be used for. We tried to undo it...but someone stopped them. Someone sapped them of their magic, and their life along with it."

 _Kai..._ the thought sends an icy chill through her, followed by a wave of fury. She sits back down, leaning forward. "What was the stolen spell?"

Grams stares at her in silence, clearly deciding whether to say anything before she opens her mouth. "Our coven is not innocent Bonnie, we have done our share of evil, though we've tried to serve the balance," Sheila inhales and though she does not mention vampires Bonnie knows. Her coven once used dark magic and it's results still walk the earth. "Our speciality, as cloaking and illusion is the Geminis, is preserving life and spirit. We created immortality, the Other Side...and other worlds."

"What?"

"This is knowledge that only a few hold Bonnie but you must know now. There are countless worlds, parallel to this one, that our coven sprang into being."

"Why?" she can hardly speak.

"We're not sure, the knowledge is lost in time but some think as a safe haven, a place to go if things got bad here. Others theorize these empty worlds are test sites, places that we can practice the most dangerous forms of the art without repercussion."

"What do you think?"

"I don't know Bonnie, that's what the inner circle were hoping to find out. Jo Parker, before she died, handed over an artefact and someone killed to get it back."

"We have to prove it! If Kai is responsible..." she cannot finish, her rage and hurt so intense.

"That coven is too well hidden and protected. I don't want to prove it Bonnie, I want them to pay. Be clear child, this is not justice, this is revenge and when someone crosses a Bennett witch their souls won't reach the otherside. We should know, we created it."

Her grandmother, small, stern and scholarly looks at that moment like the stories of witches that fill terror into the hearts of men. Bonnie nods and feels content for the first time in weeks. It is the first time she has ever felt hate.

She will make Kai Parker pay.

* * *

**The announcement**

Condolences pour in, flowers and enchantments of well being and they receive them with gratitude. Nothing appears from the Parker family until months later and it has nothing to do with the passing of her family.

"...Is he serious? An invitation? Why would he send this?"

"I expect he is following tradition," Grams answers, not looking up from her grimoire. Bonnie's mouth falls open.

"What?"

"You know what," she says, looking up and her gaze is steady but regretful. Bonnie pauses, her mind blank but then the truth hits her like a bat.

"No! Fuck no!"

"Child -"

"No! I'm not going to marry him, are you crazy?"

"I don't put much stock in prophesy, mostly the word of mad men and scared folk who just make it happen. But curses, those are not to be mocked. The covens, even ours, dress this situation up in ribbons and vows of alliance but it's a simple need to save our own skins. Witches were cursed by nature for our past sins Bonnie and I do not want to lose even one more to calamity," Grams says softly and the dissent in Bonnie stalls, doesn't vanish, just freezes. Her grandmother sighs, rubbing at her eyes. "Malachai Parker merged with his twin, a ritual that combines their souls into one. He is irreversibly different. Now if that is for the best I cannot say but I am hoping so."

"But he likely killed them. He's a siphoner!"

"We don't know that for sure Bonnie. There are lots of siphoners, though you wouldn't know it...but yes it could be a possibility but we'll never know sitting here. I can't get close enough to find out the truth. You can."

Bonnie sits weakly, thinking it over. If she agrees and marries Kai, who may be responsible for murdering her family, can she play nice and work from within, finding out the truth only to bring the whole thing down? Can she do that? Does she want to?

"Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice Bonnie. If you want to stay here, eventually take my place then I will never speak of this again, I promise."

Bonnie imagines it. Standing in front of a full lecture hall filled with young witches, sharing the history of their coven and others. Updating their approach for this century finally, making it viral, spreading it far and wide...while the curse her grandmother seems so sure of, frightened of, could just rip that life apart, likely taking the Parker family with it.

"I can't go on like nothing has happened, wilfully forgetting. I have to know the truth," Bonnie cries, despair twisting her insides and Grams takes her in her arms tightly.

"I'm sorry child. I truly am."

* * *

**The Wedding**

Rain pitter-patters against tall windows, a view of a rough Pacific sea and heavy clouds. A perfect day for a miserable wedding. The guests who would normally be sunning themselves in the garden crowd rooms and spill through hallways but she has an entire room to herself, a waiting area. The Parker family, as she had been told, are very wealthy and it is apparent in the mansion she has spent the last few days in. The time has sped past in a blur since she had agreed to his proposal, so fast she suspects magic. Now she stands with a veil over her face, in a dress chosen for her and surrounded by people who are her enemy.

She has not spoken to Kai, lucky for him. He keeps his distance, as is customary. She had expected him to come bounding down the stairs, grin on his smug face but whenever she catches sight of him, usually at the end of her wing of the house, he just waves shyly at her. She did not return the greeting. It just reinforced the artificial life she is about to partake, a make believe and neither knows the roles they should be playing.

But like any role this will not last forever. She just has to perform, sign a contract and then find out the truth. These bastards are likely responsible for the death of her family and the man waiting for her down the aisle the main culprit. The ink will not even have time to dry, or his blood, if he is guilty. Then she can figure out how the hell she is going to run her own coven.

Bonnie turns from the window, inhaling deeply and straightens the ivory and lace veil over her face, per tradition which is also fortunate because everyone gathered would just see a pair of green eyes plotting murder. Members from two covens talk and mingle easily, none but a few knowing the possible truth, if they did she does not think they would be so ready to accept anything from their hosts. Her mind flicks to her grandmother, who waits in the hall beyond, along with her father. Rudy Hopkins, non magical and happy to keep it that way, is bewildered and overwhelmed by the sudden whiplashes that have befallen his family, a family that Bonnie knows he has only ever been on the outskirts of. But he is here, along with her giant of a grandfather. She can still hear that deep booming laugh from the night before, his green eyes twinkling as the whiskey glasses had refiled themselves and wondered aloud about the possibility of remarrying in his old age to a good witch.

Her mother was sent an invitation, how she is not sure but Grams said she tried. She has not turned up. Bonnie, with an old half healed hurt, feels something in her harden even more at the absence. She had not expected anything and that is what she has received. Those that truly love her, that support her are waiting through the mirrors and that is all she needs. She had fought for Elena and Caroline to be her bridesmaids but even her new leadership cannot thwart old dusty rules. Only family, only witches and those are now growing thin in her coven.

_Well, I can only imagine who their plus ones would be...anyway this is not real, no point getting Caroline into a spin over nothing._

She stiffens when Joshua Parker walks into the room. He had greeted her formally on arrival but had not said a word to her since. Where Kai is kinetic mad heat his father is deliberate ice. Around the room many portraits of twins hang but she has to really search to find any of his children. Something bugs her about it, but she cannot say what.

"They're ready for you now," he motions at the mirrors that open up to the hall beyond. That is where her Gram waits. And Kai. Bonnie, dressed in a stunning gown of ivory lace and silk, rises to her feet. The bodice is stitched with amaranth, the sigil of her coven, growing around the hourglass like symbol of the Gemini coven. Through the light fabric she watches the former coven leader and he does the same.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she says quietly and he inclines his head.

"And I you...You've met Kai before?"

Bonnie's lips purse. "Unfortunately."

Joshua smirks softly and then sighs. "I'm sorry but if it means anything you're about to face a different person."

"How different?" she asks as they face the mirrors.

"His spirit is a combination now, all that was good and strong about Jo resides in him. My son was an abomination," he says with cold disappointment and Bonnie lifts her brows under the veil. "This was not meant to be his fate, as I suppose this wasn't to be yours...but things change."

"And the bad?" she remembers Jo, the suspicion in her voice that her twin had something to do with Luke's death.

"...Tempered. Remember this is your last chance to turn away, to keep the veil down. You can walk away."

If Bonnie keeps the cloth down, refuse to show her face then that is her sign of rejecting his offer. She can walk away from this insane family, look after her own, what's left of them. But if she does that she may be bringing even more hardship down on them…

"I'm coven leader in my own right now too. I have my own duties, so I _have_ to leave at some point."

Joshua smiles. "How far down were you?"

"...Fourteen."

"My wife was leader of a tiny coven in my jurisdiction but she never forgot, least of all me..." he sobers from the fond memory. "Coven comes before family, remember that."

"But they're the same thing," she says and he stares at her as the mirrors swing slowly open.

"Are they?"

Bonnie does not have time to answer this as he moves aside and her grandmother takes his place. Bonnie looks at her father, who had been upset that he would not walk his daughter down the aisle but it is customary to have the eldest matriarch do the honours. Again she has to push away feelings of guilt. This is not real and not worth her or anyone's feelings.

Witches stand on either side of the hall, leaving a space for them to walk down. This usually takes place out in the open air, under the sky with the grass between her toes but Bonnie had been adamant and gotten her way. This is a sham and it would be disrespectful to ape the real custom, to disrespect nature. Let the rose petals under her feet be enough.

Kai stands with his back to her at the top end of the hall, not looking around but she notices that his hands are shaking, probably with the effort not to look at her. Before him stands a stone altar and a witch from neither of their covens, who will officiate. The Regent has recovered and offered before being asked to marry them. His face is serious but open, perfectly fitting the situation. He gives nothing away, inclining his head a little in greeting. If anyone knows he witnessed the linking no one says anything.

Grams smiles briefly before taking her elbow and begins to walk slowly. Her voice enters her mind, speaking softly.

_You can keep the veil down Bonnie, that's what this whole circus is about…_

_If I do I think Kai would rip it off me anyway...Grams, what if he killed them so he could marry me?_

Through the mental link Bonnie feels her grandmother recoil, the thought had not occurred to her but Bonnie has been thinking of nothing else for the last week. Did he kill off the line of succession just so he could snap her up? Was he desperate enough to do such a thing? Obsessed enough? Evil enough?

_Be strong Bonnie, just know whatever you decide I am so proud of you…_

Bonnie feels tears welling in her eyes as her grandmother's presence leaves her mind and then her side as she finally comes to stand before Kai. She has not seen him for a long time but the change in him is immediately apparent. Once nothing but giddy joy or cold calculation shone in those blue eyes, now there is something soft and haunted that had not been there before. His eyes fall on her covered face and he exhales a long breath, his gaze taking in her dress. He stares open mouthed before speaking.

"...Hi," he chirps and then looks down awkwardly. "I can't believe this is happening."

"Is this another trick?" she whispers, trying not to be overheard and his head shots up. His face is fuller, his shoulders broader in his dark suit. He is very handsome but right now he looks like a nervous boy.

"No. I - I sent the invite, the proposal. I never thought you'd accept but…"

"But it's time for your coven and mine to join together."

"If you lift the veil," he says and swallows. Desperation radiates from him, so thick she can almost smell it. He wants her badly but has he killed to make it happen? Bonnie watches him in silence, her heart remarkably calm. She does not know the truth yet and if she keeps hidden, goes back to Mystic Falls, she never will. Bonnie steps forward, lifting her hands and he takes them. He shakes like a leaf, she is stone.

"I won't make this easy for you."

The Regent, who is pretending not to hear, smirks as he turns around to lift a cup and knife from the alter. Since coming face to face the old Kai finally shines through, a flash in his sharp grin. "I rise to challenges."

"You better hope you can fly because the fall is gonna be a long one asshole," she mutters through her teeth and his eyes gleam, his chest rising and falling quickly and the sudden shift in dynamic, the power she has over him makes her head feel light and her belly on fire.

 _Easy.._.Bonnie inhales, closing her eyes and pulls her hands away from him and then slowly lets them rise towards her face. The whole room holds it's breath and his eyes are round with what she can only call fear before she lifts the veil back. The rest of the ceremony is a blur of stumbling vows and passing cups and knives to each other. By the time her wrist is placed above his and a ribbon tied around them she is so disoriented that she barely hears the Regent say her name. It is like lifting the veil has taken her senses with it. Or maybe it's the incense burning around the room.

"Light the oil in the bowl," Vincent repeats under his breath as he unwraps the ribbons, glancing at the golden dish on the altar and Bonnie opens her mouth but no words come out. The burning of the oil is meant to represent the start and warmth of their union and it will only go out once one or both die. Or divorce.

"Need a match?" Kai whispers and Bonnie glares at him as he lifts a hand, hovering his palm over the bowl. It shines gold against his face.

"I think I do," she admits and both Kai and the Regent look surprised.

"What?"

"My magic, it - it's blocked. It has been for weeks," she says and the guests behind them start to murmur. She stares at Kai fiercely. "Just do it for me, what difference does it make?"

"It's meant to be a joint effort," he grumbles but turns to the bowl, grabs her hand and together they chant the spell loudly.

" _Phasmatos incendia_."

The oil catches, a low wave of blue before rising, changing colour. The flames are white hot. Bonnie pulls her hand back from his and then they cup the bowl and turn, carrying it between them. The flames should now adorn the hearth in their home. If she's lucky it may even burn the hypothetical thing down. Bonnie bites her lip, stifling hysterical laughter. She looks at Kai and she knows the exact same image is flaring though his mind.

They keep silent until they pass the clapping guests and walk out of the hall into falling rain. Water hisses as they reach the gazebo, sending smoke up their noses and they cough, half choked with suppressed laughter. Pink roses climb over the hut, slick with rain and then they are under its shelter. The bowl will then endure the elements for a week, to withstand them. A test.

"Looks a little damp already," she quips and he laughs hard, something he had been holding and she sighs, smiling but then catches herself.

"Don't worry, I'll keep it burning for both of us," Kai smiles at her and this is the first time they have truly been alone since this whole mad affair began.

_I'm here to find out the truth, the fire can go out or spread for all I care._

Bonnie inhales, calming herself and walks around as Kai stands by the fire, which now rests on a plinth in the middle of the gazebo, watching her every move. Waves crash in the distance, a beach she has not had the opportunity to explore. The grounds, the beach and even the sea are now under his jurisdiction. He holds the west coast, she the east…

"I can't stay here for long, you know that."

"I know, got your coven to rule, as I do...but I think you should _probably_ be able to light a candle before you start. At least," he moves up to her and she stares at him over her shoulder, her hands on the banister.

"Gonna help me?"

"If you want?" he smiles but it falls as she looks away.

"I thought all you do is take magic? Unless the merge changed that?"

"...No, I still have that ability but I can generate my own now. I mean I generate Jo's…" he admits and his voice catches as he says his sister's name. Bonnie turns and it is his turn to look away.

"You killed her."

"No, she just lost. Neither of us decided who won, both our lives were hanging there, weighed and then I tipped the scales," he explains and Bonnie frowns.

"So you got what you wanted? Your _birthright_ ," she spits the words back at him and he spins around, furious.

"This _was_ my right and it always should have been...but I keep expecting her to be here because these events were the only time we could see each other. She didn't even have a funeral, you know that? My coven doesn't believe that the merge ends in death, just a transference."

He sounds disgusted but uncomfortably so, like he does not know what to do with the feelings rushing through him. Bonnie cocks her head.

"So does she whisper in your ear, telling you to be good?"

Kai squints. "You met my sister right?" he smiles and then sighs tiredly, leaning against a post. "If she was my conscious she'd cuss me out constantly, while also wondering how I got Bonnie Bennett to agree to marry me."

"Multi tasker huh?"

"My twin was gifted," he jokes but then sorrow glows in his eyes. Regret. Bonnie comes closer. Is this Kai, the notorious psychopath? Or is his father right? She does not think Kai can tell her either way.

"You feel bad?"

"I...miss her. You may have noticed that my family members were thin on the ground in there…"

Liv had been absent, and Luke of course. "You have no other siblings?" she thinks of the portraits on the walls, pictures showing unfamiliar faces and as she thinks back she figures out what had bugged her. There had not been one picture of Kai.

Kai hesitates before answering, licking his lips. "Not any more." Bonnie looks up at him as a faint rumble of thunder sounds out to sea and he inhales, lost in her eyes. "You're my wife," he whispers, as if just realising.

"In name only," she responds quietly and he shakes his head and leans closer.

"Not to me."

"Tough."

"Bonnie," he growls and the sounds makes her flush. She moves back and he goes with her, eyes burning. "It's early days, we gotta get to know each other."

 _Only long enough to prove or disprove your innocence,_ she thinks. "I have a coven to run."

"A coven that I'm now part of," he says quickly, surprising her. He grins. "Never thought of that, did you? I'm part of your family as much as you're part of mine. Bennett-Parker, sounds good. Be kinda lousy to dismiss a new member Bon. Come on, talk to me."

"I've got no time or desire to play house with you Kai."

"Well we do for the next two weeks. Can't get out of that," he says and she slumps. He's right, they have to spend some time together, tradition but the vacation had been paid for by her father, who was adamant about providing _something_ for the wedding. The joining of their covens is to show a united front, a strengthening of bonds so that if either gets into danger the other will back them up. Alliances. What a joke.

"This is so stupid," she grumbles and he grins.

"And yet you agreed," he takes her arms in his hands. Every time his touch makes her body feel ready to ignite. "Come on, we have an entire villa to ourselves, white sands and palm trees and your live in cook will make you breakfast in bed. Who is moi. We'll work on manifesting your magic together. It'll be fun," he assures her happily as his father waves at them from the house. The dinner is ready, the guests at their seats and waiting for the guests of honour.

Kai looks at the rain falling and then the wet hem of her dress and gives her a look of mock pity before staring up at the storm clouds. He whispers a spell under his breath and with an easy but clear show of immense power the skies clear and the sea calms.

A show of his strength or just wanting to impress?

_Both. God help me._

* * *

The night lengthens and the number of empty champagne bottles cumulates until Bonnie has quite an impressive collection around her. Kai, drunk but unlike her is able you stand without tripping over himself, tries to dance with her but she focuses on her family, ignoring him utterly. Which is what everyone seems to do and Kai sits and stews, watching her from under a heavy frown. His father had departed as soon as the deserts had been cleared. Bonnie dances with strange men, strange women and takes the hands of small laughing children and swings them around and around until the room spins, until nothing seems real.

Now barefooted, an empty bottle in one hand and full glass in the other, she walks out into the night and stares at the gazebo. The fire burns steadily, the warm light contained within the structure. She stares at it for a long time, lost and trying not to cry again. She had just bid farewell to her family, though Grams assured her that she would see her very soon.

"...What have I done?"

"A brave thing," a quiet voice says and Bonnie turns to Vincent. He stands a few paces back, hands behind his back.

"I thought you had left with the others."

"I'm about to but not before I give you a gift," he answer and comes to her, smiling but his eyes intense. Bonnie, far too drunk and emotional watches as he pulls out a slim silver bracelet and small round bottle, it's neck ringed with a white ribbon.

"Perfume?"

"It was, now it holds a truth serum," Vincent says quietly and Bonnie smells sage and knows that whatever they say will not be overhead. He takes the glass and bottle from her and rings her fingers around the potion. "Put this on his skin and it will smoke if he is lying. He'll also be forced to tell the truth."

"And the ring?" she takes it from him carefully and immediately grimaces. It feels _wrong_ , the rubies studded around the edge bright red, like it soaks up blood.

"Slip that over his hand and it'll dampen his magic for awhile."

"...You think he did it?" she tries to clear her foggy mind.

"That's what I want to find out. All we know is that Jo Parker, before her death, sent this artefact to the leader of your coven," he pulls out his cell phone and shows Bonnie a picture of a flat metal contraption, made up of intricate pieces, wheels, cogs and chains. "I'll send it to you."

"What is it?"

"No idea. Jo wouldn't say but she was scared and didn't trust it with her coven. The night of the linking the members had it but when I woke up the relic was gone. They all were," he adds darkly.

"...Someone stole it?"

"Maybe, that's what I'm hoping you'll find out."

Bonnie shakes her head, trying to digest what she has heard. "You didn't see anything?"

"I saw the eldest member drop and then someone was taking my magic. Hurt like a bitch and then I was out cold. I was lucky to survive. I didn't see Kai, I didn't see anyone but _someone_ was there...if he knows anything then maybe…" he trails off, his brown eyes desperate but not with sadness or even rage. Hope.

"You - you think they're still alive don't you? The white book -"

"Can be wrong," he says and then inhales. "Bonnie I don't know, they could be dead. Lucy could be...but I feel it in my heart that she is not. If there is _any_ chance…" his eyes shine in the firelight and Bonnie nods.

"Okay, I'll do it tonight. I'm not wasting even a night here if I don't have to."

Vincent leans back and smiles. "Thank you. I meant what I said, you're brave for doing this...High Priestess," he says as someone approaches and bows to her and Bonnie inclines her head as he walks away. Kai stares after Vincent, deeply suspicious. Bonnie slips the bracelet over her wrist, where it immediately clamps against her skin. There is a momentary pain but then nothing. Her magical block is too strong. Something vicious blooms in her, giving her heat and focus.

"What did he want?"

"To give me a wedding gift," Bonnie explains, brazenly showing him the perfume bottle, which he barely glances at. He comes closer, staring at the gazebo over her head and then down at her face. His eyes settle on her lips, which she licks.

"...Everyone has left."

"Not everyone," she smirks at his frustrated exhale. "I'm going to bed," she says but he grab her arm, pulling her to his side. She calls on her magic, forgetting.

"We've got two weeks together. Are you gonna spend it ignoring me?"

"You really think we'll be able to spend that long together peacefully?"

"Relatively, yeah. I know you think this is a mistake but I want it to work."

"Then work," she whispers, eyes slipping to his lips and then away. She pulls away and she thinks he will not let go but he does suddenly, making her stumble for balance. She scowls at his grin, trying to walk on with some dignity. She lifts up her heavy skirts, realising that the people who helped sew her into the thing are now gone. She reaches behind her back, absent-mindedly searching for the hanging laces when suddenly the bodice around her chest becomes loose as the ribbons keeping the dress tight begin unlacing themselves. Bonnie gasps, clutching the bodice to her chest and looks over her shoulder, scandalized.

"Looked like you needed help," he breathes into her ear, his face pushing against the side of her throat as he brushes quickly past. Bonnie throws out her hand, wanting to blast him over the cliff but he escapes unharmed back into the house. Breeze blowing against her bare back she scrunches her hands into fists.

"God damn it!"

* * *

"So...do I get that dance now?"

"No," Bonnie sips on water, watching Kai from her seat in the kitchen. She had tried to sleep but her head spins and decided to look for the kitchen. She had gotten lost but managed to locate it only to find Kai waiting for her. She needs to sober up and fast. He comes closer, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows, his coat and vest long gone. As are her shoes. She had left the wedding dress in a puddle on her bedroom floor and found some sweatpants and a overly large t-shirt, which she suspects is his. The veil she had forgotten to take off still hangs down the back of her head, the ribbons caught between his slim fingers as he passes. He smiles softly at her, almost adoringly. She hopes to have dashed him of any illusions. He will not be happy with her.

"I said we'd dance if I got your name right, which I did, _and_ at my wedding."

"Which was very convenient, wasn't it?" she asks sharply, sitting back. "Anyway I did dance, just not with you."

Kai clenches his jaw, staring down at her in conflicted silence before the words burst from him. "Is there someone else? A boyfriend?"

Bonnie cocks her head, enjoying his obvious jealousy. She could lie, watch his no doubt entertaining reaction but she has no desire to. "There isn't but even if there was it makes no difference. I don't care if you see anyone else, actually I encourage it. We're not bound to each other."

He blinks, mouth parting and then laughs. "You want an open relationship? Kinky, I never would have guessed."

Bonnie rolls her eyes as she takes another sip of water. "There is no relationship. You know this is going to be _very_ unconventional Malachai. Just because I'm gonna be your wife on paper doesn't mean anything. This is more like a business transaction. So if someone catches my eye..."

Kai stares at her, silent until he speaks through stiff lips. "Well as your _business partner_ I'd be careful who you...negotiate with," he warns quietly and Bonnie's heart drums in her chest.

"Is that a threat?"

"I don't share."

"That assumes that I'm yours to begin with," she laughs as he leans back, jaw clenching. "Come on, there must be loads of scam marriages, just getting together for the position or whatever. I mean, if things had been different I would be sitting next to Luke right now…or your sister," she adds and Kai smirks.

"Marriages between witches is different from your garden variety, love and obey, death do us part shtick but I'm not most witches and neither are you. If this was nothing why go through the ceremony, dress up, bring your family?"

Something sharp and painful cuts through her at this, thinking of the emotional tears in her grandfather's eyes. To him this had been a happy day, his grandchild getting married to someone he believes she loves.

 _What have I done?_ She thinks yet again, the thought loud through the fog in her mind. Bonnie inhales, shaking her head. "I will never be a wife to you, in every sense of the word. This is...a matter of convenience. My members are down, our power with it...your coven is large, old and strong. That's why I'm here...and because it's our turn. I don't want to bring any more hardship down on my family."

The curse aside _nature_ demands balance and having separate covens, vying for power does not serve nature. Keeping them connected, those ties forged tightly in a perpetual cycle keeps the blood from flowing. One huge family, whose blood is wild with magic, even ones like the man beside her.

 _It was meant to be bonds of love, originally_...Bonnie pushes the thought away. Kai stares at her hard, shaking his head before he sits beside her at the table. She looks away, catching sight of the bowl of fire through the window. It still burns.

"We probably won't even see each other that much," she says quietly, half to herself and looks back at him.

He stills, gazing at her deeply and sighs. "You became leader through a fluke of fate, you weren't prepared for it," he sounds sad.

"Fluke of fate? You think that?"

"I heard it was an accident, one of the members was old, couldn't keep the circle…" he frowns at the murderous look in her eyes and leans back sharply as she suddenly gets to her feet.

"I'm going to bed," she mutters, walking to the door and then turns. "You know that trick you did to my sun all those years ago? Picture that but ten times worse if you come into my room uninvited," she pulls the veil from her head, shaking out her hair and walks out, leaving him watching after her in bemusement. She does not see his smile die.

* * *

She has no intention of sleeping, or spending even a night resting, as if she could. She will get the truth out of him and there is no time to waste. Bonnie tip toes into his room, where he sleeps in a large four post bed. She listens to Kai breathing, deep and slow. Finally. He clearly has trouble falling asleep, tossing and turning fretfully.

_Another reason to be grateful we're not sharing a bed..._

Sure that he is really under Bonnie slips from the door and tip toes to him, the wedding knife Kai had used to cut the cake held in one hand while the potion is in another. The wedding cake had been stunning, decorated with a flower design that appeared too real. He had confessed to making it and then dabbed a bit of cake on her nose and laughed. Bonnie focuses, leaning over him, not breathing as she widens the bracelet and then slips it gently over his wrist. It manacles around him immediately. Kai frowns a little but does not wake.

Bonnie upends the clear potion before gently tracing a cross over his forehead and then binds it in a circle. He blinks awake and for a long breathless moment they stare at each other in the dark. He sees the cake knife in her hand, the cold look in her eyes and moves but Bonnie is quicker. She has no magic but she is not defenceless. She jumps onto the bed, forcing him down as his legs get tangled in the sheets and straddles him, the knife against his throat.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting answers."

He grits his teeth, confused and starting to anger when he suddenly freezes, eyes widening. "Where's my magic?"

"Relax, it'll come back, if you tell me the truth."

"What truth?" his hands ring her upper arms, tight enough to bruise but she barely feels it. She narrows her eyes.

"I have no magic and now neither do you. It's just you and my mercy."

Kai narrows his eyes, lips pursing in calculation and slumps down, calming. He gazes at her face and then downwards and she becomes acutely aware of his body under her thighs, the heat and every shift of his hips. He starts smiling softly, his hands rubbing her bare skin.

"Will I get a prize for these answers?"

"No. The incentive has already been used," she whispers and the amusement in his eyes dims and that calculation shines. He sighs and if he is scared he does not show it.

"Okay Bonster, what is it?"

"Nuh-uh, it's your turn to spill your guts," she rises, tip of the wedding knife under his chin and his grin is back. And something else. Bonnie inhales sharply but manages to keep her face impassive as she feels how hard he is under her. She is turning him on like this? Of course she is.

"Three questions and the potion means that you have to answer truthfully," she says. "Question number one: did you always plan to marry me?"

"Yes," he answers without hesitation but the bemusement is gone. He looks deadly serious. The fluid against his forehead remains unchanged. It will smoke if he lies. "Though now I realise I should have been more...restrained," his eyes flick to the bracelet on his wrist, the rubies flashing. "You know, mixtapes, movie nights, making out in the back of stolen cars…"

His eyes linger on her lips. Bonnie swallows and grimaces, ignoring this. "Question two...did you kill to make this marriage happen?"

"...Yes," he answers breathlessly, startled at his own honesty. He remains silent for a long time, time enough for his gaze to become heavy with regret. "You have to understand I -"

"No, I haven't finished," she hisses, covering his mouth with her hand. She bares her teeth and leans close until her chest touches his. "Final question...Did you kill my coven members? Did you kill my family?" her voice shakes, her throat tight. She pulls her hand away and Kai opens his mouth in soft shock before speaking.

"No."

Bonnie looks up at the cross on his forehead, expecting it to be gone but the water is clear. He is telling the truth. The anger, the revenge that has moved her from one side of the country to another, that has made her sign into a loveless marriage, dwindles and is blown out by a wave of anguish and confusion.

"But I thought…if you didn't than who did?"

"I don't know," he answers and the potion bubbles. Bonnie growls, pressing the blade into his skin and his hand rings her wrist. "Okay, I _suspect_ but that's not truth. I have no evidence, just suspicions."

Bonnie stares at the circle, which is calm, becoming clear. Bonnie thinks of the picture of the metal artefact that Vincent had sent to her after he left, considers showing it to Kai but immediately dismisses it. He may be telling the truth but she does not trust him. She rises, smearing the potion with her fingers, drawing them into his hair and tugging. His hands glide around her back, keeping her in place.

"I didn't kill your family Bonnie...but I did make sure that Luke died so I could become leader," his eyes become glassy but he does not cry, if he even can. "I manipulated him into it, I didn't put that pill in his hand but I as good as…" he swallows, his voice rough and he growls at the pain that must be rushing through him.

"How could you do it? Your own brother?"

"...My coven doesn't view it's members like you do, he was never my family in that sense. Backstabbing, plotting and all that shit is as normal as breathing to my coven. The climb to power, to _keep_ it, what's family to that?" he whispers this with no shame, just stating facts but his face grows conflicted. "I'm a psychopath Bonnie, I mean I was I guess. Certifiable, and those tendencies are not gone...but now I pay for them, that little chastising voice in my head, usually after I fuck up. Marrying you...I wanted it the moment I saw you but I didn't care who I hurt, even you. You _had_ to be mine."

"...And now?"

"...Now I wish you had not accepted the stupid invite...but if you hadn't I probably would have hand delivered it to your door," he admits with a humourless laugh and then hums thoughtfully. "Actually I probably would have killed Luka Martin, who you likely would have married, took his place and married you anyway."

Bonnie snarls in disgust. "And reveal yourself on the wedding night? You're a monster!"

"Of course not, I would have done right when we're _supposed_ to kiss. Imagine the reaction..." he grins wistfully but sighs in irritation at the disgust on her face. "I said I would have, not now...you're mine," he states with a simple finality.

"Tendencies…" she looks upwards for strength, thinking about the wake of death that has hit both their covens and looks down at him. "Do you mourn them?" she asks quietly and Kai opens his mouth, hesitates.

"...Yes," he answers, unsure, looking at her to tell him the truth.

"You don't know what's the truth do you? What you feel?"

"I get confused...Imagine you spend a long time experiencing two polar opposites and suddenly there's this huge spectrum right? Colors that were invisible to your eye are suddenly _everywhere,_ uncontrolled and unstoppable. Before you could pretend but now it's sensory overload and you don't know what to call them, how to even describe them but they're _real_...this is real, it hasn't faded. You're everywhere, all the time," he finishes quietly and Bonnie is still, not know how to respond to this admittance of feeling. She could mock and scorn him but something makes her stop.

Whatever he feels for her it doesn't matter, the whole thing has been for nothing. She sighs, sitting upright and his fingertips brush against her abdomen before gripping her hips tightly. He is still hard and for one mindless moment she imagines guiding his hands under her t-shirt, grinding her pelvis against him. Fuck away the disappointment, it _is_ her wedding night...Through the low feeling something molten rolls and she has felt it for him before. She could give in so easily, play him until he tells her everything with no need of magic. She has power over him, the question is how much?

Kai breathes shallow and his cheeks redden, as if reading her mind. He is intensely turned on. "How long is this stuff in my system for?"

"The whole night."

"Hmm, I could tell you anything...wanna play truth or dare?" he asks suddenly with a boyish grin and Bonnie laughs tiredly, unable to stop.

"God, this is not how I imagined my wedding night," she admits, looking down at him and he smirks.

"This is pretty close, even the right face," he says, brushing her cheek and she leans back. Kai narrows his eyes, something wicked in them. "The bed is mine Bonnie, sorry but if you think sitting on me will make me move you're mistaken," he says and Bonnie clicks her tongue, her body thudding with embarrassment and shameful lust. She places her hands on his chest, about to zap him but then remembers she has no magic. She growls in frustration.

"I need my damn magic back! Does this ever happen to you?"

"Nope," he says and offers the bracelet to her. The rubies are dead and dark. Bonnie rocks back but he grabs her, laughing. "Relax, if I wanted to take your magic or attack you I could have a long time ago. These things don't work on me, I can just suck out the magic making them work."

"You can siphon no matter what? You never get blocked?"

He thinks before speaking, weighing what to say. He can only tell her the truth but she cannot force him to say everything. "Emotionally? No, though maybe I can now. I'm developing, my mother would be proud," he jokes, grinning before he shrugs a shoulder. "Before the merge I could only consume it from others for a short while, eventually it would fade away. But the ability is always there…" he answers, looking thoughtful and his hands move down her arms, wrapping around them. "I might be able to help."

"...You think you can draw it from me?"

He grins, excited. "I don't know, never tried before. What do you say?"

Bonnie bites her lip. She is in a strange place, with an even stranger coven and without her magic. She will try anything. She nods, inhaling as his fingers tighten.

"Will it hurt?" she asks and Kai pauses, the joy on his face fading a little.

"Yes," he answers and she nods. She closes her eyes, imaging it will be like having a band aid ripped off when she feels the heat building from his hands, getting hotter until it stings and then it is delving inwards, drawing powerfully. At first nothing happens, just this greedy force that wants to devour her magic. Wincing she feels Kai's lips against her forehead and then his voice in her ear, telling her to let go and then with a gasp she does.

"Oh god," Kai arches below her and her eyes fly open as she cries out. The pain is intense at first but as the block comes loose her magic rushes forward like a river, joyous and excited to be moving again and the mad mix of the two sensations makes her body shudder with pained pleasure. Hands gripping his shoulders Bonnie screams at the release and the room answers to her call. The writing desk and chair flip over, sending paper into the air while the lights flick off and on. Candles roar and gutter in iron stands and the wallpaper rips and reforms in great strips. The bed bangs against the wall, the blankets rolling over and over until the entire room is in pandemonium.

Kai laughs and groans, his lips pressed roughly against the side of her cheek, his fingers digging into her arms as she rocks above him, lost in the outpouring of her magic, a magic that he can hardly contain. Aroused beyond anything she has experienced she turns her head and they kiss violently, open mouthed and panting. Bonnie rocks her pelvis against his erection and he arches into her again, his fingers hooking into the neck of her shirt, wanting to rip it off her.

_Stop, this is too fast. Where's your head?_

"Gone," she mutters against his lips and then leans back, Kai chasing the kiss. Her mouth throbbing with use, his hands on her breasts, about to rip her clothes off Bonnie throws her hands out. "Stop."

The room and Kai freeze and when he lowers his hands the content around them tumbles to the floor. Bonnie, coiling her magic and her senses back in, gets to her feet, shaking and hunching on herself.

"Bonnie?"

"This can't happen. I don't know you."

"You can learn to! I'd drink a litre of that potion if you asked," he urges, sitting up but she holds up a hand, shaking her head quickly and he stops, relenting. He nods. "It's okay. Go if you want...but this is as much your room as mine. Remember that."

Bonnie doesn't give him a chance to say more. Clutching at her chest she runs from the room, her magic and her heart beating wildly inside her. Just before she races into the other room and the door slams behind her she hears his yell of frustration followed by the loud bang of his door opening and closing again and again until an eerie silence settles over the house, broken only by their heavy breathing.

In the dark of the night the gazebo burns until all that is left when the sun rises are blacked timbers, cracked tiles and one untouched but still burning bowl of oil.


	2. The Honeymoon

**The Welcome**

The flight over the Atlantic and then Europe had been calm, no turbulence and the skies clear. However she hardly got a wink of sleep. Kai had kept them both up for hours with his inane talk. She suspects it is from a combination of nerves, excitement and just the inability to shut up. She had to pointedly take the offered earplugs, wave them in front of his face before slotting them into her ears before falling asleep. Hours later, the rising sun shinning through the window, he graffitis on the emergency landing leaflet, colouring in the paper with pencils usually reserved for children. He folds it into a geometric shape before slotting his fingers into the gaps below. A Fortune Teller game.

"Pick a number from one to eight."

Bonnie purses her mouth, knowing he will not stop unless she plays. His youthfulness is not just skin deep. She removes the plugs and sits up. "Fine. Four, your mental age."

"One, two, three, four," he opens and closes the paper, revealing four different coloured panels.

"Pick a color."

"...Purple."

"Your favourite," he comments and lifts the flap and shows it to Bonnie, who reads the inscription.

_Are we gonna pretend the wedding night never happened y/n?_

Bonnie flushes with heat, not looking at him. The night haunts her, how close she came to having sex with him and how much she actually wanted to once her suspicions had been partially eased. She does not trust him but knowing that he did not harm her family now makes that frigid wall she had constructed weaker. The attraction she had felt as a teenager had been instant but one belonging to an adolescent. She is a grown woman but it seems that budding heat has turned into something darkly latent and hot, not stirred until touched by him. He is dangerous and yet she feels no fear, just this pulsing arousal in the pit of her stomach. The weight of his gaze repeals her as much as it gives her pleasure. He wants no one but her, possibly killed for it to happen, and that is a different sort of power, one she has never toyed with before.

_Do I want to play? I just need to know the truth about my family...in whatever way I can._

Bonnie looks up at him finally and in answer she screws up the paper in her fist and hands it back. He smirks after a pause and pockets the game as the plane begins its landing. Their private villa awaits. She ponders briefly how their little bowl of fire is doing, in the magically reconstructed gazebo. Maybe it's cinders and ash again, destroyed by the heat of his crazy...

* * *

Greece, the birthplace of both of their covens, is a place that she has heard about countless times, the history that she only grew more submerged into since she started her academic career. But being there is a different reality.

The small town nestles into the cliff face, a sloping range of pumice stone that shines in the sunshine. The buildings are made from the same material but painted bright white, with many domed roofs gleaming a turquoise blue. It is a striking image and overlooks the harbour as they tiredly wait for the boat magically sailing towards them, one that will usher them to their private island. Well, the Gemini's private island. She had been expecting a quiet reception, if one at all, maybe a few villagers greeting them but as she and Kai look out over the calm blue sea they are welcomed by what appears to be the entire town.

"What is this?" Bonnie mutters as Kai beams in delight, pushing his sunglasses on top of his head as the crowd approaches. In some places the townsfolk would welcome witches with stones and pitchforks but these people wave flowers and food. Not too shocking, this town is a witch settlement.

"I guess someone gave them a heads up. I feel like I should start blessing babies," Kai whispers as a couple speak to them rapidly in Greek, which Bonnie has some understanding of, she is better with a more ancient version, but they speak their dialect incredibly fast so she only catches a few words but what she does causes her to blush.

"They think us being here is good luck, fortunate because we're married," Bonnie explains to Kai who has a passing understanding of the language but not as fluently as she does. He shakes the hand of a short plump man, grinning from ear to ear, who calls them _anakes and anassa_ respectively. King and queen. Bonnie, in dusty sandals, shorts and a simple green vest feels anything but.

"I could get used to this," Kai whispers into her ear.

Bonnie silently agrees as a beautiful woman hands her two necklaces of green jade, moonstone and rose quartz beads, telling her it will help with conception and fertility. Bonnie, her face baking under the hot Hellenic sky, takes the jewellery gratefully and then the group allows them to pass in a shower of falling petals and hearty cheers.

On the boat and waving at the retreating crowd they sit on the wooden planks, exhausted but happy. Kai takes one of the necklaces from her and winds it around his wrist. Bonnie cocks an eyebrow.

"It'll help you get pregnant."

"Cool," he looks at her suggestively and she fights the impulse to drop her necklace into the sea but places it into her handbag instead. It is a gift, no matter it's impracticality. The wind blowing through the wavy tendrils of her hair Bonnie looks out as the boat sails them towards the island, which rises isolated from the sea. It is small, rising to a peak and crowded with pine and a multitude of olive trees. Their villa overlooks the Ionian sea to the south and the behind them the Peloponnese is a hazy dark line. The town they had just left is where the "nightlife" is, a place comprised of witches who have lived there for millennia, mostly from the Gemini coven. It is also a few miles from a popular tourist resort for witches, according to the emissary who had greeted them at the airport and sent their luggage ahead.

 _At least I have a place to escape to if need be..._ Bonnie eyes Kai, who watches the waves lapping the side of the boat, sunglasses back in place with a sleepy smile on his face as they speed towards a small stone pier. He looks utterly composed and she wonders if his stomach is knotting as hers is now. Will they be able to live with each other alone without blowing up the island and setting the sea on fire?

Kai seems to think so but Bonnie is not so sure...but he has answers, he confessed to suspicions...which she will pry out when she can keep her eyes open for more than five seconds. Ten minutes later they reach the villa, which is atop of a cliff overlooking the sea. Tired and hungry they barely have energy to appreciate the beautiful building and grounds. Once inside Kai falls face down onto a sofa in the airy living room and Bonnie manages to climb the marble staircase and collapses onto the first bed she finds and is asleep within seconds.

* * *

**The Cave**

She wakes early, the sun just rising over the horizon, to the smell of brewing coffee and the quiet singing of her husband.

 _Husband. My god, that will never sound right or real_ , she thinks with a grimace as she sits up and separates the curtains with a flick of her hand. Dawn light filters through the shutters still over the windows and wanting to experience the view she shuffles off the bed and throws them open and steps out onto a small balcony. The sea is calm, a blue that will brighten to a mottled turquoise once the sun shines fully. Below there is a rocky garden with a huge and ancient olive tree growing in the middle, bent and twisted. The garden stretches on for a few metres before meeting the cliff edge and then it is a straight drop into the sea. A stone staircase leads from her balcony to the garden and Bonnie puts her sandals on and ventures out.

She had slept deeply, which had surprised her but she doubts that the nights to come will be so easy. As she inspects a fenced off vegetable patch, which seems to be thriving, she hears a creak and looks up. All the blue shutters unlock and swing open, letting in the sea breeze and the rooms exhale a puff of dust. The villa, which she had been too tired to notice before, is made of cream stone and red tiles, the facade rustic and sturdy. It is small, a holiday home. Bonnie looks down and spots Kai watching her from the kitchen window. He waves, a waggle of his fingers.

 _Ignore or not to ignore?_ She ponders but the smell of the breakfast he is preparing sends her feet moving before she can decide. She is starving.

"Kalimera. That's Greek for morning," he says as she steps into the kitchen. He is wearing a grey t-shirt and black shorts, feet bare. Scrambled eggs are sizzling in a pan, chopped tomatoes scattered through it and as she moves to take the handle Kai nudges her away.

"Nope. My treat."

"Maybe I don't want eggs," she retorts, taking a seat at the wooden table and Kai stalls, uncertain before he sprinkles feta cheese over the eggs.

"You'll want these, trust me."

"You like cooking?"

Kai turns with a broad grin. "I _love_ cooking. Word of warning I think I'm a feeder. If I wasn't coven leader I'd be a chef, running my own kitchen. What about you?"

Bonnie opens her mouth but hesitates. For a few blissful seconds she forgets that there is any other option than lecturing, than being a researcher, but then the truth hits her yet again. The fact that she is now the leader of her own coven, the High Priestess of the East coast be exact, is something that feels even more unreal then this marriage. She has no experience of rule or the duties, leaving that up to her grandmother who is now interim regent, until her honeymoon is over at least. She has never seriously considered what she would do if she had that position because it was never a real possibility.

"I was going to teach. I mean I am teaching. That's what I do," she finishes lamely with a shrug and Kai cocks his head.

"It must be super weird for you. I grew up knowing that one day I could be leader, the backstabbing and betrayals aside, and I prepared myself for it. I taught myself the history, customs and aspirations of the different covens, who to trust and who to watch before I learned about American presidents."

Bonnie frowns as he lays out a plate of thickly cut bread, which is still warm from the oven. The smell is intoxicating. "I know history and different customs probably better than you."

"Yeah but not the modern covens. For instance did you know that a Martin witch is working with an Original?"

"What?" she blinks in shock, her mind immediately picturing Greta Martin, who had always seemed constantly dissatisfied to Bonnie. But siding with a vampire and an Original at that? Insane. "No way."

"Yes way. Apparently it's not just business either…" he dishes out the eggs and sits across from her, grabbing a piece of bread. He smiles in salacious delight. "Not sure which one it is but her family does not approve and have shipped her off to the Archive in England."

The Archive is a vast library slash museum in England, housing millions of magical artifacts from grimoires to minutes taken in meetings. The Martins are the librarians of the witch world, collecting, maintaining and preserving the history of the covens. It is another place Bonnie would sell a kidney to see, especially the fabled hidden wing.

_I can now, I have clearance…_

Bonnie, fork forgotten in her hand comes to attention when she realises that Kai is silent, which she is quickly coming to learn is a very rare occurrence, like when pandas mate. He watches her but when she catches his eyes in a flinty stare he looks down shyly. The confidence that once seemed to roll off him like waves is strangely muted. It must be a side effect of the merge.

"So I was thinking about heading to the beach. Wanna come?"

"Nope," Bonnie answers with the same friendliness, digging into the eggs. She tries some, a little suspicious but the flavour bursts over her tongue and she is secretly impressed. They are perfect.

Despite her refusal Kai eats and fills the kitchen with a stream of consciousness, pausing to allow her to contribute, which is only monosyllabic in reply, before continuing. He talks like someone not expecting a response, answering his own questions and filling in her silences. He had done the same on the plane and it irritates her. He clearly loves the sound of his own voice, so she'll give them some quality alone time together.

Eating the last crust of bread, which was just as good as it smelt, Bonnie smiles and gets to her feet, floating her plate, cup and cutlery into the sink where they magically begin cleaning themselves. "I'll leave you and you to talk."

Kai opens his mouth, about to answer before closing his lips. He frowns and blinks, his embarrassment heating to anger but Bonnie doesn't care. He has not threatened her but he has, likely for years, plotted to make sure that the only person she would ever marry would be him. It sets her on edge. She is not here to please him, unlike Greta and her mysterious vampire, this arrangement is purely business.

After slipping on a pair of slim brown pants and a sleeveless white blouse Bonnie spends the day exploring the villa and island. The house is comprised of five bedrooms, two bathrooms (one of which houses an amazing shower. The villa though old, has clearly gone through a renovation.) Attached to the side of the house is a roofed area for eating outside, with a stunning view of the ocean. Light spills over the island, a light that looks and feels different, bright but softer than what she is used to. It illuminates everything, touching the same olive trees as it once did two thousand years ago. The sense of antiquity, of being transported back, is everywhere she looks.

The peak of the island rises above the pines and she places a hand over her eyes. Kai had told her that an old temple lies along the slopes, hidden amongst the trees but he could not remember exactly where. It had been a long time since he last visited apparently, when he was young.

What is "young" for Malachai Parker is as mystifying as the man himself, so she had just quietly stored this fact away and headed out before he could ask her to come swimming with him again. As she walks up a narrow goat path she pictures him sitting on the beach, watching the waves.

 _No, he's looking back at the island, back at me_ , Bonnie thinks and her back prickles. He does not care for the ocean, he just wants her to experience it beside him. Feeling a strange mix of annoyance and pity Bonnie stops by a grove of olive trees and stares at the ground. The path forks, one heading further up, the other into the grove. She hums before placing her hand around a rough branch and closes her eyes.

For a moment the air is still and silent but then a faint rustling fills the air and Bonnie opens her eyes. The trees sway gently, beckoning and she walks deeper into the grove, letting it lead her on. The further she goes the older the trees become, the trunks scored with ancient symbols and wards. Wards of warning. She comes to a wooden sign stacked in the earth, cracked and warped with age. Greek lettering is painted on it, a simple order:

_Turn back._

Bonnie bites her lip. A jittery feeling upsets her stomach but she considers that it only started once she saw the warning signs, not before. A witch can sense danger but she feels none, just a quiet melancholy. She presses on, skirting the edge of the hill until she comes to a structure jutting out from it. A stone archway is cut into the face of the slope, the entrance to a cave.

 _Okay, dark creepy cave at the end of a path lined with warning signs. Maybe it's structurally unsound?_ Bonnie places her hand against the smooth stone pillar, feeling for weakness but finds none but when her skin makes contact the feeling of sadness intensifies. It is not a dangerous place but has known an old suffering. Bonnie considers turning back, feeling now that she is trespassing on a place she should not be, no matter how solemn her intentions.

"Creepy right?"

"Fuck!" Bonnie shouts and the curse echoes through the passageway. Shocked she turns to find Kai leaning against a tree. He grins as she covers her mouth, mortified.

"I like it when you curse."

"I'll give you another, in Latin," she hisses and he chuckles, coming forward and walks past her, jerking his head.

"Come on, I'll give you the lowdown," he disappears inside, leaving her to stare after him. She had spent all morning getting to the place, she was not going to turn back now. Silently begging forgiveness for her rude outburst she enters the tunnel.

The air is damp and cold as the sun disappears, plunging her in darkness but ahead a ball of fire leads the way, casting Kai's tall body in silhouette and she hurries to catch up, his voice echoing around them.

"The first time I visited the island I was a baby. I dreamt about it before I saw it. There were these strange kids running through the trees, urging me to follow. I did, in the dark and straight here," Kai disappears and Bonnie turns a corner to find a cavern. A beam of light filters through a crack in the roof, illuminating a small waterfall that flows into a basin. The damp comes from this but the chill is not banished by the sunlight.

"Must have been scary," Bonnie says, thinking of a child coming here at night by himself but Kai shakes his head.

"I wasn't, I thought it was a dream but I woke up over there," he points to the centre of the cavern and Bonnie walks forward, not seeing the hole until she almost falls into it. Kai slips his hand around her wrist as she peers down. The hole is about five feet across, water trickling silently into it, and as Kai hovers the ball of fire over the gap Bonnie lets a rock fall. The fire and stone plummet and she strains to hear the thud or plunk of it reaching bottom. It doesn't come. The fire fades away into darkness.

"There's no end, literally," Kai whispers and Bonnie shivers. She has heard of gaps and thin spots in the fabric of the world but never seen one. "My mom and dad found me sitting on the edge, legs dangling over the sides. Damn, I got the beating of my life," he laughs and Bonnie tears her eyes away from the hole.

"How old were you?"

"Five," he shrugs and then places a finger to his lips. "Listen."

"To what?"

"Just do it. Close your eyes."

Bonnie, acutely aware that she is standing on the edge of a hole in the universe with Kai Parker's hand on her wrist, stares at him with a dangerous, dull warning before closing her eyes. At first she hears nothing but as a faint breeze blows against her face she hears it. A thin, pitiful wail. Dread and fear flood her and gasping she steps back, wanting to run but he will not let go. "What - what is that? What is this place?"

"It's called _The Tithe_. Like the Spartans my coven would abandon those they deemed unfit and the very worst would be lead here. Children, specifically."

Bonnie stares at the hole, feeling nauseous. "Are you telling me they threw kids down there?"

"Siphoners, to be exact," he whispers and his smile is finally gone. He stares at the hole, lost in thought. "Witches like me didn't exist until about two thousand years ago, only in my coven. Back then not many survived because they'd usually suck all the magic from the mother, killing her before they could be born. But some survived and were seen as abominations, an imbalance that had to be rectified…"

Bonnie stares at him silently, noting the way his jaw clenches. "So they sacrificed them?"

"Yup. Thought it would appease nature and cleanse the gene pool or something but we just kept popping out, no matter how many they sent flying. My dad, after he found me, gave me the whole awesome story, with a nice moral at the end: if I didn't wanna end up falling forever in the dark then I had to behave and not touch."

He falls silent, still gazing at the hole. Bonnie, who now recalls how many times she has seen Kai with his hands in his pockets, experiences an intense pang of sadness. Siphoners are rare and not something that witches discuss in public but she had no idea of this bloody history, if true. She had never met one before Kai, but then she would not have known.

"Is it true?" she can't imagine something so inhumane happening to children, siphoner or not. They're still children. She stares at Kai, wondering if he was ever innocent and feels ashamed.

"Maybe...I still remember the pressure of my dad's hand on my back, for just a second. I know in retrospect he probably wishes he could go back and give me a shove...guess I wouldn't blame him," he adds with a soft snort before looking at Bonnie, who is appalled.

"It's terrible," she whispers, believing the tale. The quiet suffering of the cave is real, she can feel it. Tears prick her eyes, unable to banish the image of trusting children being lead by their parents to such a cruel fate. Upset and spooked, when she feels the tightening of Kai's hand on her skin she involuntarily snatches her arm away with a gasp. For a moment hurt flashes across his face before he smiles weakly.

"I'm sorry," she utters without thinking and he shrugs.

"It's cool, I'm used to it. Come on, this is totally depressing...huh, never felt that before," he ruminates as he leads her from the caves and back into the warm sunlight. Relief washes over her but the ghosts still cling to her back. She definitely knows what her dreams will be filled with tonight...

* * *

As the sun sets Bonnie takes a seat at the table placed outside, watching the candles flicker along the low wall. When true night falls the villa will be alive with candle flames and fluttering moths. Kai has gone all out, serving grilled fish with salad, accompanied by a white wine. Experiencing a strange pity for him, knowing that it is largely down to the fate of his ancient brethren, Bonnie thanks him for the effort.

Kai smiles happily. "Thought I better make up for this morning. Not the best start to a honeymoon."

Bonnie lifts her eyebrows but says nothing. This is not a honeymoon, she's not sure what exactly but it is not that. She cuts the fish and eats, trying not to moan in pleasure but damn he is a fantastic cook and he clearly loves her barely concealed reaction.

"Where did you learn to cook?"

"Mostly self taught. My dad got me started though, he loves to cook too," Kai sips on wine, the radio playing in the background. Bonnie, growing satisfied catches herself. She loves the place, the terrible cave aside, but she has no intention of playing house with Kai until she knows everything he is withholding.

"You told me you have suspicions about what happened to my family. Tell me."

Kai is silent, staring at her over his wineglass before he exhales a breath and puts the glass down. "I'll tell you, I promise, but give me two weeks. I was serious about getting to know each other."

"...And telling me what you know _now_ will jeopardise that?" Bonnie asks and his jaw clenches. Bonnie nods. "So you think in two weeks time I'll be soft to you, so whatever you tell me will go down easier. You're wrong. If I started to trust you and I find out that you had anything to do with what happened the curse that I would lay down on you would be worse than compared to now."

Kai shakes his head. "You ever think I actually need this time to see if _I_ can trust _you_?" he asks and Bonnie is floored. She had taken for granted, like his obsession, that he believes everything she says on principle. He smiles, a cunning thing. "I want to know that you're someone worth the risk."

"You wanted to marry me, someone you don't know. You took that risk and now you have to live with it," she answers but he shrugs, cutting up his fish and Bonnie slumps back, her anger giving way to a spiky panic. Fear. What is so bad that he will not tell her? "Please, if they're dead just tell me. Don't make me wait, give me hope only to take it away."

Her voice is small and guttural, on the edge of tears and he looks up. His gaze is troubled, flicking over her face before settling. He swallows and lowers his fork. "I don't know if they're alive Bonnie, I swear...but maybe there's a chance they were. Maybe they still are, I don't know. That's the truth."

His voice is steady, his body leaning over the table with the force of his conviction and there is not a trace of deceit in him...Hope blooms in Bonnie, that they could still be alive but on the heels of that comes anger. He has known this for weeks and he will continue to withhold more, as she withholds the affection he seems to crave. Is this a trade off? Tit for tat? Play nice, get another insight. Kiss him and maybe a suspect. Slip into his bed and everything will spill out…

_No. I won't sink that far. If he wanted to fuck me he would be trying harder, not this gentle awkwardness. He wants more and I can't give it...but what do I have to lose? Not my heart, only his._

Bonnie sits back, losing her appetite and Kai looks down, a small sad smile on his face before he lifts his head, brighter. "In two weeks we've got all the duties and responsibilities that come with rule, and that covers your family. Let it lie until then. Enjoy this, as much as you can because I doubt either of us will experience it again."

He looks at her hopefully and Bonnie cocks her head tiredly. Finally she rolls her eyes. "Prove to me this mad arrangement is worth it Kai. We're stuck together because of the stupid curse and unless there's a way to break it I want to live my life safely on my terms okay?" she pours salt into three piles, pointing at each. "There's this thing between us, my personal life and then my rule. Those are separate islands."

Kai smiles. "Keeping them separate is gonna be harder than you think. However, I won't overstep into Bennett business, and I expect the same from you in return."

Bonnie nods, finally feeling like they are on the same page. "I agree."

"Shake on it?" he offers his hand over the table and Bonnie hesitates, remembering the way she flinched at his touch earlier and feeling a strange coiling of guilt she places her hand in his. Kai smiles, inhaling happily. "Two institutions, in distant partnership...but I have every intention of blending your personal life into mine Bonnie."

Kai circles his finger in the salt and she pulls back with a sardonic look. "I dread to think what that life is like. I mean aside from ruining balls and hanging out at the mall what do you actually _do_?"

He opens his mouth, hesitates, clearly weighing what to say before he shrugs, something mischievous entering his eyes. "I fly between here and my own private island, population one…"

"Hmm some Neverland? Explains your weird age thing," she says, almost lifting her hand to touch his face. "How old are you really?"

"Twenty four."

"But Jo - "

"She aged badly, I told you. Too much sun and pale ass skin, what can I say?"

Bonnie grimaces. "I swear if you're really some lecherous forty something I'm out of here, curse or no curse."

He laughs. "I promise, no matter when I was born, that I'm mind and soul twenty two. It's the affect of my, uh, arrested development. Though, with Jo ghosting around in here, I guess it _is_ kinda true that you have married a middle aged stoner. Sorry."

He winces comically and she relents, especially when she sees the swell of grief in his eyes at the mention of his twin. He has not mentioned her or his family but sometimes she catches him staring at old photographs of the Parkers dotted around the villa, his gaze dark and troubled with memory. There are even a few of Kai.

 _I don't have room for his grief too_ , she thinks softly but feels perversely happy that he does feel pain for his family. Maybe that is why he confesses that there is a chance that hers are still alive. He knows how precious it is to have that possibility. For a former psychopath she considers it progress.

* * *

Still haunted by the cave the next day Bonnie takes a long time to shake it off, which is only achieved after throwing herself off a cliff...and into the sea. Bonnie changes into a black bathing suit and moves through the garden and peers over the ledge. There is a twenty foot drop and a safe climb back up the rockface, according to Kai.

She knows he had headed out to town, propelling a boat across the strait early that morning and still has not returned. The villa to herself she considers ditching the bathing suit but knows with a clairvoyant assurance that Kai will appear just as she emerges from the ocean like Venus.

 _I could cloak myself,_ she thinks, staring at the sea below but shakes her head. Kai, with his overly keen Gemini eyes, could probably pierce through illusions. Trying to push him from her thoughts Bonnie moves back a few paces, balling her fists and with a small scream she runs forward and jumps off the cliff. Exhilaration rockets through her body as the warm salty sea envelops her and she hangs suspended in crystal clear water. She stares at the coral growing over the rocks, at the colourful fish that dart away and smiles. Using a spell she could explore under the waves for hours without having to come up for air, though the chance of getting swept out to sea is high as your focus wanders.

She kicks and swims upwards, breaking the surface for air and notes that she has moved. The small private beach is before her and Kai is there, back to her and pulling his t-shirt off. She ducks down up to her nose and watches him from behind a rock. The first time she had seen him he had been skinny but with a wiry strength, a teenager. Now muscles broaden his back and shoulders, flexing as he lets his shirt drop to the sand. His skin is pale, just starting to darken with the sun but even from this distance she can see a small pale scar on his lower back, possibly a burn that has healed a long time ago. She swims closer to get a better look, skillfully ignoring the way her heart pounds and her skin tingles.

The scar is circular, in the shape of a wheel and with an uneasy pang she realises it is a brand. Someone burned him. She wonders if all Gemini do this to siphoners or just Kai, from the horror story in the cave she can imagine there are hundreds of people walking around with similar marks. Her mind drifting she does not notice that he has turned and facing her until she feels the water around her starting to bubble, like she is in a jacuzzi.

"Hey!"

"You know there are laws against this kind of thing Bon."

"Shut up," she pants, trying to keep her head but what he is doing to the water, to her _body,_ feels incredible. Nipples growing hard and her skin flushing she wades out of the sea, leaving the wonderful bubbles behind. Kai grins, eyes on her face but she cannot resist looking down. He is gorgeous, his skin lightly freckled and as he turns to the side she pictures her nails scratching down that back. A good back on a man has _always_ been a turn on. She looks further down and spots the scar. The shape which she took for a wheel is correct but this close she sees exactly what it is: a crown wheel.

Uneasy and not sure why she flicks her eyes away and focuses on the villa on the bluff above but then a large fluffy towel wraps around her body. Along with his arms.

"There's a legend, a good one this time, that there's a trunk full of magical artifacts out here. Wanna come find it with me?"

"What kind of artifacts?"

"The kind that superstitious pirates dump into the sea: cursed."

Bonnie manages to laugh as he turns her in the towel to face him. "You _would_ find that exciting. And once you find this sunken treasure then what?"

"Siphon it. Duh."

"Along with the curses?"

"No. Magic I absorb, whether light, dark or Barbie pink, comes to me clean as nature intended. I'm like a filter."

"One that never gets changed," she smiles and he narrows his eyes playfully.

"Oh I think you'd like me with no filter Bon."

"I don't think you know what that is. Your mouth has none, that's for sure," she moves closer, chin up and he smiles down at her with clear affection. He inhales and brushes a tendril of damp hair from her cheek and at the touch that simmering heat inside intensifies. She had bulked at the notion of sleeping with him to get answers but this urge is something different. It has nothing to do with getting results or helping her cause and everything to do with slacking this lust. Maybe she will be free of it, get it out of her system? She had felt this mad heat in her blood before, brief moments during the night but nothing like this.

"...Did you put a spell on me that day in the mall?" she asks and his eyebrows rise, before he smiles softly.

"I wanted to ask you the same thing," he sighs, lifting the corner of the towel and rubs her cheek dry very gently. "I couldn't stop thinking about you, I've never stopped...but this isn't a spell, it's just nature. You feel it too, don't you?"

All witches have this latent pull to one another, it is how they recognise each other but this is something entirely different. Could it be fate? Nature sparking something in them as their eyes met all those years ago? That sounds like something from a fairytale, something to swoon and sigh at the romance of it all but this is not a story. She wields a power over him, something she cannot even rightly name but it makes her feel nothing like those lost girls finding their princes. She's the witch in the wood, not the waif in the tower. What sort of person does the witch find at the end of that path? Bonnie thinks he would look something like Kai, a dangerous man who does not quite fit. Liminal.

"I need to shower," she pulls back slowly, eyes never leaving his and the towel slips from around her body, making her turn on her bare feet. Leaving him clutching the towel she walks away and it takes all of her willpower not to look back. Witches don't get fairytale romances, they're the ones destroying them.

* * *

That night he builds a bonfire on the beach and she watches it burning from her balcony, the flames beckoning her. As she watches flumes break off, floating into the air before forming into shapes. Letters.

_Come down!_

Bonnie watches the words writhed in flame going out and she laughs before lifting her arm and with her hand traces her fiery reply in the air.

_No. I'm going to bed._

_...But it's only two am!_

_Goodnight Kai!_

Shaking her head with a tired smile she moves back into her room, making the shutters close behind her. If she goes down there, so close to that fire in her strange stimulated state she'll turn the sand into glass. Resting against the pillow she almost falls asleep when her cell buzzes loudly on the bedside table. Bonnie squints at the screen and finds a picture of Kai grinning drunkenly before the fire, waving.

"For god's sake…" Bonnie lifts her hand and then makes a swift fist. The fire on the beach goes out at once and she grins when ten seconds later Kai sends another picture of himself in the dark pouting. She types a final message, a wink emoji, and turns her cell off with satisfaction. However her attempt to sleep is again disrupted, but not in a teasing counterattack as she had half been expecting...

Dreaming she walks through the villa, the halls dark before they are suddenly filled with an electric blue light. Lightening. In the distance thunder rumbles and rain pelts against the windowpanes. The sea storm is ferocious, sending the blackened logs on the beach scattering as the waves rise and churn. Frightened she slips into his room, which is calm and quiet, a refuge. She stands at the edge of his bed, scrunching her short nightdress in her fists, watching as Kai sleeps peacefully. Thunder booms, making her jump and she climbs onto the bed, lifting the sheet and Kai awakes, staring at her blearily. She whispers apologies, the words lost in the beat of her heart and he just smiles, reaching for her. His arms circle her body, the palm of his hand gliding over the smooth skin of her thigh and the storm beats against the villa, the beats of thunder matching their hearts.

Staring down at him, her body pressed down against his, she frames his face with her hands tenderly, her head lowering and he strains up to meet her, the movements of both now tortuously slow, the heat between her legs a sticky hot pressure as her lips part and finally meet his. A crack whips through the room, making her jump and she wakes up...to find Kai between her thighs.

"...What?"

He blinks, half a sleepy smile forming to replace a look of confusion. "Please say this isn't another dream?" His hands grip her ass before sliding up to her hips. Bonnie is frozen in shock. His eyes dart to the left and he tuts. "You broke the mirror."

Bonnie looks and sees that the sky outside is calm, the sun beginning to rise. The mirror is cracked from corner to corner, their reflection distorted but as Kai lifts his hand the glass heals. Seeing herself clearly Bonnie jerks back.

"You bastard!" she yells, smacking her hands against his chest and he catches them but she fights him off.

"Hey come on. I'm the one waking up with you on top of me. Again. I think you're trying to tell me something but I'm not getting it, " he frowns in mock confusion as Bonnie feels like she will explode. She must have sleepwalked into his room, crawled into his bed. Deeply embarrassed and angry she stands up on the bed, feet placed either side of his hips. He places his hands behind his head with a smug smile. Fighting the desire to bounce on him like an inflatable Bonnie points a finger at his chest. He freezes. She could literally stop his heart with a word.

"I _never_ sleepwalk! Never! You did this and it's not fucking cute!"

" _I'm_ the one waking up to _you_ in my bed uninvited and it's my fault? All righty then…" he jerks as she makes the bed bang against the wall in her frustration and he laughs before falling quiet, his gaze soft. "Do you want to sleep with me Bonnie?"

Her eyes widen at the simple question, breath held in her throat, trapping her equally simple answer: yes.

"You're not cute, you're a creep," she finally replies in a rush of air as he leans up on his elbows. "Knowing when my birthday is, what my favourite color is, what food I like...it's not normal, I never told you those things, never shared them."

He frowns, genuinely puzzled. "I'm a witch, would it shock you to know I just happened to guess?"

"Whatever. I keep forgetting you orchestrated this whole thing so why should it be beyond you to warp my dreams?" she shakes her head and gets off the bed, brushing off his hand on her leg but he jumps up and grabs her arm, making her face him.

"Wait. I admit that before the merge I would have done this and more but not now. You're not someone I want to trick or play, okay? I'm trying to win you without listening to the fucked up voice in my head."

"I'm not a prize," she replies coldly and he winces, pulling her closer.

"I know. I just meant that I want to do this like normal people do. I want it to last. We've begun backwards so maybe if we go back, start like normal, it won't be so weird."

Bonnie narrows her eyes, part of her wanting to trust him but the other shies away like an angry animal. "You're not normal, and I don't mean because you can siphon. There's something just not right about you."

Kai exhales, gaze conflicted before he relents and lets her go. "You're right, there's not...but for the first time in my life it's not something I'm proud of. You don't trust me, I get it, but I'd never hurt you. I only want a chance."

Bonnie stares at his desperate expression, his lips pressed together tightly, feels the tension running through his body and decides not to offer relief. Let it build and build.

"I'm putting a barrier around my room, a ward against _any_ forms of intrusion. I know you could just siphon it away…"

"I won't," he says quickly and then finally steps back. It looks like it pains him. Bonnie, wishing that she could talk to her friends, walks out of his room and into hers but she does not sleep. Watching the ocean she sits still, mind oddly blank but as the first shafts of light filter through the shutters she gets up and starts throwing clothes into a bag.

This is not a honeymoon but it is a gift from her father. She will enjoy it as much as she can, Kai or not. Throwing on a strappy red sundress that reaches her thighs and buckling her sandals Bonnie shoulders a bag comprised with a few outfits and toiletries and leaves for the town over the narrow strait.

He does not pursue her, not then.

* * *

**The Date**

The town is stunning and she regrets not visiting it sooner. On arrival she and Kai had sped through but now she has the time to walk around at her leisure, the sun just climbing and the streets mostly deserted. The white houses gleam, the bright blue roofs and pink and red petunias and geraniums spilling over balconies offer a striking contrast. It is breathtakingly lovely and Bonnie fantasises about living in one of the apartments, which are stacked on top of each other, cut from the very rock face.

As she climbs through the spiralling streets, cellphone out to take pictures, a hoard of cats start to follow her, while birds hop from rooftop to tree, accompanying the morning with their song. Bonnie smiles, remembering how as a child she would be followed to and from school by the town's stray cats and dogs, to the point that her father started calling her Doctor Dolittle. However that had been a dozen, now it seems that the entire cat population of the town is following her.

 _Not following, stalking_ , she thinks as she hears a few yowls and sees the flattening of ears. Unsure Bonnie crouches down slowly, offering her hand and loud hissing suddenly fills the air. Bonnie jumps up, heart beating hard as they spit and making quick movements forward before backing off. There must be hundreds of them and acting like they want to claw her to death.

"What the hell?"

"Anassa," a voice suddenly whispers and Bonnie looks up. She is standing before a large taverna and a middle aged woman in a green dress is beckoning from a balcony. The door below swings open and Bonnie races forward just as the sleek army goes in for the attack. The door thuds closed behind her and she can hear the cats scratching at it before the woman above sends a hex at them and the scratching stops. Breathing heavily and shaking Bonnie stands in the empty taverna, chairs still on tables as the woman bustles into view, hand to her chest.

"Are you okay?" she speaks in accented English and Bonnie nods as her saviour sets a chair out and Bonnie lowers down into it. The woman is in her fifties, her grey streaked hair twisted into a bun. She is very tall, a fading beauty.

"That was weird," she whispers as the woman offers her a glass of water and Bonnie drinks gratefully. "Thank you so much. That - that's never happened to me before."

"Don't worry, they can't come in," the lady assures her, taking a seat opposite and Bonnie realises that she has seen her before.

"You were at the harbour when we arrived. You gave as bread."

"With my husband, Elias," the woman nods. "My name is Agatha."

"Bonnie Bennett."

"I know," she beams. "We are all very honoured to have you both here. I did not see the Anakes with you, I hope he is safe."

"I came here alone," Bonnie says dully, lowering the glass and the woman pauses, staring at her thoughtfully before getting to her feet and sets about taking the chairs down. Bonnie stands to help but she flat out refuses so Bonnie eats bread with coffee as Agatha talks. She soon learns that she and her husband are the Gemini leaders of this district, settling affairs and giving their service to those in need before they head into Athens once a month to meet with the other district leaders in Greece. Her and Kai's arrival is a very auspicious occasion, akin to royalty visiting. Bonnie struggles to accept this, finding Agatha's reverence off putting but not wanting to offend the woman. As the shutters open to reveal a cloudy sky Bonnie gets to her feet and joins her at the doorway. The cats are gone.

"I can't believe I was almost murdered by a group of cats."

"Yes and you won't come back as Michelle Pfeiffer," Agatha says seriously and Bonnie laughs. She spots the sign over the door, something she had missed.

"The Dioskouri. Why is that familiar?"

"For the twins, the Gemini."

"Right, Castor and Pollux," Bonnie nods. Agatha opens her mouth, about to say something but rethinks. Bonnie narrows her eyes. "What?"

"It's myth, legend," she waves a dismissive hand, moving back into the restaurant and Bonnie follows.

"Go on. Please, I'd like to know. Before I became coven leader I taught history. I love this stuff," Bonnie urges her with a big smile and Agatha relents and they sit back down. The older witch leans forward, eyes alive.

"Well here we believe that the twins might have been another set, or that Castor and Pollux were the offspring of these twins. But there are similarities. What if one of the twins was a witch, immortal and the other mortal? What if when one died the other shared his magic, became even stronger?"

Bonnie blinks as thunder rumbles in the distance. "You mean the merge ritual?"

"I think so, maybe that was the origin. My husband thinks so too. Twins, one a very powerful witch, keeps his brother's spirit alive forever. He had the secret to immortality, stolen from his betrothed."

Again Bonnie blinks and leans forward. This sounds strangely familiar. "Are - are you talking about Qetsiyah?"

Agatha beams in delight. "You know your family legends, as I do," she sees Bonnie's confused expression and smiles. "I came from your coven originally, before I married Elias. He disagrees with my interpretation here, accusing our ancestor of stealing the spell from _his_ ancestor, the Gemini leader: Silas."

Bonnie sits back, putting the confusing pieces together as best she can. "Qetsiyah was betrothed to Silas? I've _never_ heard that before, only that she cursed him for stealing the immortality spell." She had also never heard about Silas having a twin, but then if they did perform the first merge ritual it's not so strange. The other twin died and was lost to history.

"Yes but not all. Their union was meant to unite their two covens, bring peace and make them even stronger but he was unfaithful," she sneers, shaking her head like she is talking about someone in the town. Bonnie, not usually one for soap-opera, leans forward, lapping it up.

"What happened?"

"She cursed him, made it so that if any coven makes a promise of marriage it is not to be broken or face the consequence."

"The curse," Bonnie nods but then quickly grows confused again. "But the marriage curse affects all covens."

Agatha shrugs. "Maybe over the years we have got it mixed up or maybe it was nature that cursed us all, either way it is true," she says with grim confidence and thunder rumbles again, closer. "That is why when a Gemini and a Bennett marry it is especially important. Nature remembers and so does Qetsiyah, who watches still from the other side."

Bonnie lets it sink in, sitting in thoughtful silence as Agatha bustles around, greeting the staff who work at the taverna. According to her host there had been curses that affected all covens who forsake the union of their covens, which brings calamity. The other is the curse placed on the Gemini line especially and as the first patrons enter the taverna it hits her.

The merge. The entire family is linked to the leader, if they die the coven goes down with them. So their position and title is passed down to another set of twins, who must merge again. That seems like a terrible arrangement to Bonnie, one to punish a man unfaithful to his promised. It also calls into question the siphoners and what part they play. These mysteries swirling around her head Bonnie does not have much time to ruminate on them before a family at a table recognises her and suddenly the entire taverna is up and paying tribute.

Overwhelmed Bonnie tries to take their praise and appreciation with humble cool but soon she is shaking with the flood of reverence and seeing her distress Agatha shoos them away and shows Bonnie into the relative safety of the kitchen. Rain pours outside, which is rare at this time of year, and the guests look at the sky like an ill omen.

"Sorry, I'm really not used to this. I'm just a normal person, I don't know what to do with all the…" she fails to find a word for the magnitude of her current life and just waves her hands around helplessly. Agatha stares at her with sympathy.

"You could go back to your husband?"

Bonnie shakes her head stiffly, saying nothing and Agatha nods knowingly. "Well you are free to stay here for as long as you need. Bonnie," she adds. "You can use our rooms above. Elias is out of town on business, in Athens."

Bonnie shakes her head again, taking the woman's hands. "Thank you but I can't just sit. I'd like to help. I've never worked in a restaurant before."

Agatha refuses profusely but soon she relents and ten minutes later Bonnie is in an apron and serving coffee to the guests, who have no idea how to respond to her and she laughs.

"This will be a story for the ages," she overhears. "The Anassa serving me breakfast. Demetri, get your phone out and take a picture."

Smiling and feeling lighter the storm outside intensifies, despite her good mood. The link to her dream is too obvious to ignore and soon Agatha affirms her suspicions, while adding another revelation to the mix. Around noon the place quietens, the rain driving people away and Bonnie sits at a table, watching the umbrellas outside fluttering. "I could clear it away with a spell?"

"Ah I don't think it's that kind of storm," Agatha says as they eat lunch and Bonnie cocks an eyebrow. "Not to be forward Anassa but was there a fight earlier?"

Bonnie, salad halfway to her mouth, stills and then nods. "We - uh, we're feeling each other out. You know it was arranged? We don't know each other really and that's...hard."

Agatha nods and then snorts. "When me and Elias were first wed we _hated_ each other. I was the coven leader of my district and he of his and it was our turn. Of course we are not in the same realm as you and the Anakes but we felt the affects. We would say sharp words and the vegetables would go bad. I would sleep in another room and wake up to ice over the floor and walls. Once I packed my things and moved out. I wanted to be an actress, not the wife of some shy cook," Agatha lifts her chin, shaking her head back like she is standing on a stage and wanting to present her best angle. Bonnie tries not to smile. "I realised I was pregnant about two weeks later and then a week later I was not," Agatha says sadly and all the bemusement drains from Bonnie.

"I - I'm sorry."

Agatha smiles and pats Bonnie's hand. "I was devastated but I remained on the stage until one night I see him in the crowd and he is crying. Then some hecklers get up and he punched them!" she says and laughs heartily at the memory. "My little Elias sent the whole lot of them running. We went home and now I have seven grandchildren."

She proudly points at a wall where numerous pictures hang. Three or four generations of her family happily greet Bonnie, who is reminded of all the pictures of the Parker family in Portland. Well, sans Kai. The woman before her was once in the same predicament but the knowledge that the curse is not broken once the fire is lit in the bowl is a hollow blow.

"I thought once we were married the bad fortune would go away."

"It does, not affecting the rest of your family, but then it just rings tighter around the couple. Of course we all experience those ripples," she says as lightening flickers. "The curse is not a singular thing, it affects us all and if the vows are not respected then nature finds a way to express her anger. The union between witches is not something to be trifled."

Bonnie shakes her head. "It's terrible. Not everyone can stay in marriages or should, not everyone finds love or happiness."

"I agree but until someone figures out a way to break the curse then this is it. Of course you could forsake being a witch entirely but forever have nature turn her back on you. I could not do such a thing."

"I doubly can't. I'm the leader of an entire coven."

"And you will do a fantastic job Bonnie. Ah don't worry over my prattle, I'm sure things will smooth over. I admit, I like a little thunder and lightning after a spat, it makes me feel like Titania cursing Oberon."

She rises regally, again pretending that she is on the stage, and glides away, hand to her cheek and Bonnie laughs, knowing that Kai would get a kick out of this theatrical woman. She might not be under the bright lights of Hollywood but Bonnie suspects that Agatha still takes to the stage, wherever presented. Thinking of Kai sends her to the door to watch the rain pour. It has sent the narrow winding streets into mini rivers. She takes out her phone and takes a selfie, pulling a face with the view of the rain behind her.

She hesitates and then sends it to Kai. And waits.

* * *

And waits. And waits. As the sunsets and candles flutter alive to push back the dark it sets a romantic atmosphere but Bonnie grows angry and the angrier she gets the harder the rain falls. Despite the storm word must have spread that the "anassa" is at the taverna because half the town appear, young and old and Agatha blesses her presence. She is good for business. Soon Bonnie forgets about being stood up as witches her age crowd around her table and they enjoy a feast together. At first they are as formal as Agatha was but as the wine flows and the dishes keep coming the Greeks loosen up and talk, song and laughter fills the air.

Once the dishes are removed the tables are pushed back and the floor is crammed with couples, dancing to a small but energetic band in the corner. Bonnie dances with an incredibly good looking man, who is taken but still grinds up against her, his equally stunning girlfriend grinning from ear to ear a few paces away. She looks a little proud. Bonnie recognises her as the lady who gave her the fertility necklace, which is still in her bag. Feeling bad for not wearing it she untangles from the man, who sweeps his girlfriend off her feet immediately and Bonnie laughs, shaking her head at the strange display before she finds her handbag under a table and pulls the necklace out. She pulls it over her head where it lies against her chest. Pleased and wanting to show the woman she bumps into someone as she stands.

"Heh, you're fucking up my cabbage patch!"

Bonnie spins around to find Kai looking at her with affront but at the sight of her face he freezes. Bonnie purses her mouth, head tilting as he breaks into a grin at her heavy lidded look.

"Uh, hi. We haven't met, I'm Kai."

Bonnie stares at him silently as he offers his hand, winning smile on his face but when she doesn't move he leans down and speaks low. "You're meant to shake it."

"Sorry, I'm so tired I can't even lift my hand. I've been here _all_ day, I danced with so many people that I'm just _beat_."

"All day huh?"

"Yeah, someone stood me up."

Kai frowns. "Who? I'll kill him."

"Oh so if he had done the gentlemanly thing you'd be pleased?"

"If he had turned up you'd still be talking to me, I guarantee it," he says breezily and Bonnie almost laughs. This is the confidence she remembers, it seems he just needed a little resistance and forked lightning to bring it out. At this thought she looks at the window and her stomach does a strange flip. The rain has stopped.

Bonnie turns back to him. "Wow. Well be that as it may that asshole is still my husband. Nice try though," she smiles, moving to the side but he lifts his hand and presses the side of his wrist against her chest.

"Snap," he says and Bonnie looks down to see his fertility bracelet around his wrist matching her beaded necklace.

"Huh, they must give these out to everyone. Lady said it'll help me get pregnant."

"Me too!" Kai declares excitedly and this time Bonnie can't help laughing. He is ridiculous.

"Seriously I'm too tired to dance, if that's what you're fishing for?"

"Nope. I actually prefer the stimulation of good conversation compared to any other physical activity."

"Any other?"

"Well, next to baseball," Kai motions at a small table set within an alcove and Bonnie spots Agatha watching them from behind the bar. She smiles and gives her a wink and something in Bonnie unknots a little.

"Fine but only until my husband turns up."

"Gotcha." They sit at the table with a candle flickering between them, next to a small vase with a single carnation inside. Kai, looking very handsome in a white shirt and dark pants, looks at her across the table, now a little more sheepish. "I don't know your name."

She thinks about giving him a fake one but decides for the truth, all of it. "I'm Bonnie Bennett-Parker."

She catches a small but sharp intake of air before he smiles softly. "Nice to meet you. I'm Kai. So, are you hungry?"

"I just ate but you can order. The food is great," she says and watches him take a breadstick from a cup, shaking his head.

"It's okay. I actually hate eating for one."

"Why?"

"It's what I did for years and years. I went to plenty of restaurants, from the Ritz to McDonald's but never had anyone to share champagne and McShakes with."

Bonnie cocks her head, pouting a little in mock pity. "Never? You never took a girl on a date?"

He opens his mouth and shrugs before answering, chewing on the bread. "Sure but it was so long ago it hardly feels real."

"How long?" she asks, not expecting an answer but he surprises her.

"Eighteen years."

Bonnie stares at him, at the serious and oddly vulnerable look on his face and knows this is the truth. Jo comes to mind, who had been in her forties when she died and knows that this _is_ Kai's true age...but she also believes what he said before. His mental age is the same as hers. Possibly younger if she's being honest.

She cocks her head and then leans over the table, whispering. "That's a long time. Are you a priest?"

He laughs. "No, though I guess monk is more accurate. I was alone for a long time," he says this softly, swallowing and the truth hits Bonnie and it is so obvious and so simple she doesn't know why it has taken her so long to figure it out.

"You were in prison."

Kai stills, not saying anything or giving anything away before his lips curl into a small smile. "Correct, Colombo."

She recalls the little comments about time outs and compassionate leave and it falls even more into place. Even his odd anachronistic nature, his pop culture references two decades out of date and his social awkwardness, which she took for his psychopathy, all points to a person in confinement suddenly realised back into the world again. Not knowing what he did and scared to find out pity still swells up inside her, which she finds hard to bottle.

"So...you're enjoying your first vacation in a long time then?"

"Yeah. I wanted to unearth my roots, came here to find out more about my coven. I'm a Gemini," he adds.

Bonnie whispers, conspiring. "I was just talking to the owner of the taverna, Agatha, and she gave me the scoop. Did you know that the originator of your coven stole the immortality spell from _my_ ancestor?"

Kai pulls an incredulous face. "Silas? That's not how we tell it. He created it and some crazy witch cursed him for it."

"Of course the Gemini would put that spin on it, they want to look good while also taking credit for a woman's work."

Kai throws his hands up at the challenge on her face. "I'm not disputing. So what else did the lovely Agatha say?" he says just as the older witch appears and he gives her a charming smile.

"Good evening. Would you care to order? Some drinks?"

"A drink sounds great. What would you like?" Kai asks Bonnie and they look at the menu, Kai striking up a conversation with Agatha, who is smitten within ten seconds.

"How about you give us what you think is best?" Bonnie says and Kai nods.

"Just not tequila. It's not a pretty sight," he pulls a face and they laugh.

"I think not being pretty would be impossible for you," Agatha replies and Kai laughs as Bonnie snorts into the menu.

" _Ooh_. Did you hear that? I think my heart is calling to another," he touches his chest and Agatha laughs, slapping the air before his face and then realises who she is talking to. She moves back, wincing a little and then giggles. They both must be the most unlikely coven leaders imaginable. Bonnie suspects the witch has had a few glasses of wine too.

"We'll have some red wine Agatha, thank you." Bonnie watches her walk away with the menus and then looks back at Kai, who is chuckling. "You can still follow your heart, Agatha's husband is out of town," Bonnie whispers and he laughs, shaking his head.

"It's okay. I'm not here to pick up girls. I'm actually married too."

"Really? So this vacation is a getaway for two?" she asks and he nods as the glasses on the table begin to magically fill with wine. Bonnie frowns. "And yet you're drinking alone."

"No I'm not," he corrects and Bonnie picks up her glass, swirling the wine around.

"Would your wife be happy to see you sharing a drink with another woman?"

Kai narrows his eyes and then puts the glass down, his fingertips pressing against the base. "I'm not sure if she'd care. I hope that she knows to trust me. I take my vows seriously."

"So you'd never cheat?"

"Never," he looks up, his gaze intense and Bonnie feels her face heating. Finally he drops his gaze again with a smile. "The truth is we had a fight and I'm not sure how to make it right."

"Oh, that's too bad...maybe I can help? Tell me what your wife is like?" she asks and her heart thuds. Kai sits back, humming and then leans forward.

"She...she's gentle, reserved but full of fire, quiet but can shoot down anyone. She's powerful but I don't think she even realizes it...or how incredibly sexy she is. She misses her friends and family and is scared of the future but brave because of it. She loves knitting and has a great voice. She's a history buff and smart. She's a truly good person and not in a sanctimonious way you know? She's funny. She's the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on...I want to know more, and not because it serves me. I think she wants to know more about me...but I can't. Maybe that's for the best."

"...Why?"

"Because the longer I stay the more likely she'll realize who she's married. I didn't care before but now...I think I've trapped her and there's no way out. She's in a maze with a monster."

Bonnie, listening to this description, goes through a process where she flushes with pleasure and surprise, shock, suspicion and finally acceptance. She smiles. "If she's as smart and brave as you say maybe she's figured that out already. You can't know someone totally, we're not books but it sounds like you have a good understanding of her. If you feel you can't share everything then maybe you should tell her."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. Because if you feel like that imagine how she feels. Maybe she's scared."

"Of what?"

Bonnie shrugs, sipping on her wine. "Herself? I haven't known you for long but I can assume she's never met anyone like you before."

He grins. "I'll take that as a compliment. I'll consider your advice, thanks…" they drink more wine, which refills and listen to the music for a couple of minutes, casting glances at each other. Finally Kai tilts his head as the hostess passes. "So what else did Agatha tell you? I can tell my wife about it."

"Well the one thing that surprised me was that thousands of years ago the leader of the Gemini was promised to marry the leader of my coven." Their coven has no name, having been scattered two thousand years before and only really reforming in the last couple of centuries. They have been called the Travellers because of it but Bonnie would love to know what they called themselves before the diaspora.

Kai's eyebrows shoot towards his hairline. "Married?"

"Yeah but he was unfaithful and a thief so she cursed him."

"Damn, your coven doesn't fuck around. Guess it serves him right. Cheaters are the worst," he widens his eyes and Bonnie nods in agreement, thinking of Jeremy. "So then what happened?"

"Well according to Agatha she cursed his entire line...which stands to reason he must have had kids."

"Hmm, maybe with his side piece?"

"Maybe? Either way this betrayal didn't just affect the Gemini but every coven. Nature stepped in and the curse is not broken when witches marry, it just becomes more insular. When you fight nature shows her displeasure…"

A piece of bread pauses on the way to his mouth and he looks at Bonnie. "Huh. That's gnarly."

" _Totally_ ," she says in a valley voice and he laughs, picking up his glass. "So even if two witches separated on good terms I guess the curse would still screw things up for them, not as bad as refusing but still unpleasant."

"But the thing about curses is that there's always a way to break them, there's always a loophole."

"True. I can't imagine what that would be."

"My wife would figure it out, she's super smart."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, we're well matched," he jokes and Bonnie almost hits him but catches herself. The charade started as something playful but through these invisible masks the truth is pouring freely. It is strange but it seems to be working.

"So, how long are you here for?" Bonnie asks as a drunk middle aged man starts crooning _Can't Help Falling in Love_ to his family and friends, accompanied by the band. It's tone deaf but incredibly sweet. Kai grins, clapping and then looks back at Bonnie.

"Huh? Oh for two weeks. We've been here for a few days already. I don't want to leave."

"Why?"

"Because when we get back to America I have this feeling that I won't see her again. Not because we'll split up but because of our work," he adds quickly. "I want her to live with me. Is that weird? She _is_ my wife."

Bonnie downs more of the wine before answering. "Hmm I think give her time to decide. If she has work to deal with then that will have to come first. She probably feels under a lot of pressure."

"I know...I just want her all to myself," he rests his cheek on his hand, elbow on the table and sings quietly along, gazing at her with a drunk tenderness. "I knew the moment I saw her she was it."

"...How?" she asks as couples slow dance. She barely sees them and she thinks Kai doesn't even know where he is. He just sees her.

"I don't know, I mean does anyone? I was completely blindsided, I'd never felt anything like it before. I'd had girlfriends but they never lasted, were never serious and then when I went to prison...it just didn't seem important."

"You must have been lonely," the wine makes her voice slurred but she is in a warm comfortable fog that pulses with strong emotions. She feels sorry for him.

He opens his mouth to answer and for a moment the drunk film over his eyes clears to a stark haunted stare before he smirks. "Oh yeah and when I was released twice a year I quickly made friends."

Bonnie can imagine what sort of _friends_ those were. "I'm guessing no unwilling, viable woman in Portland was safe?"

"Like a quarter. I'm more into good conversation then other stimulation, like I mentioned," he admits and grins over the wine glass. Bonnie flushes, wondering if her sudden intense sex drive might outmatch his. Kai leans a little closer, whispering. "That changed when I met my wife. She drives me crazy," he confides and Bonnie actually blushes. Kai cocks his head suddenly. "Wait. How do you know I'm from Portland?"

Even drunk she does not miss a beat. "It may shock you but I'm a witch and I guessed. I'm very intuitive," she taps her temple and then thinks back to that morning in his room and narrows her eyes.

"Does she know that? How you feel?"

"...I don't want to push it but truth is I'm always this close to bending her over a table," he holds his thumb and index finger inches apart. "Sorry, TMI. But if there's one thing about me that's a virtue it's that I'm patient. I'll move when she's ready."

"...And when she is?"

Kai just grins, a slow predatory thing that makes his eyes burn and Bonnie almost chokes on her wine. She looks away and notices that the taverna is emptying and with a shock she realises it is almost one in the morning. They have been talking for ages.

"It's late, I should get back."

"Is your husband gonna pick you up?" Kai asks as Bonnie gets unsteadily to her feet. She shrugs.

"Doesn't look like it."

"I can walk you back if you like?" he rises and sways. "Woah. Agatha did you spike the wine?" he calls but the witch is dozing in a corner. Bonnie smiles, shouldering her handbag and Kai picks up the luggage she had hastily packed that morning.

They bid Agatha goodbye, who wakes and blows a kiss at them, clearly relieved that they are leaving together. She takes her hand, squeezing it and Bonnie nods in silent understanding before leaving. The air outside is warm and still, the streets wet but the skies above are clear and spread with billions of stars. It is stunning and they both just stare up with open mouths for thirty seconds until Bonnie leans back too far and almost ends up on her ass. Kai hooks his arm around her waist and spins her around, pushing her against a wall.

"Oops. I'm so drunk," she giggles and he joins her. It is an adorable sound.

"We should take a picture. A selfie. I've never taken one with another person before."

"Damn, is your wife camera shy?"

"She's something," he says, fumbling to get his cell out of his pocket, only to find that the battery is dead. "Damn it. That's what I get for playing Snake all day."

"Snake? You could have come here and you chose to play Snake?"

"I avoid my problems but I reached a new level, so that's something. I did come out to look for her...and found you," he adds, slipping his cell away and shouldering her luggage again he pulls her away from the wall and they begin walking through the streets. It is not long before they are completely lost, arguing which way is right and collapsing into laughter.

"Can you even read that thing?" Kai asks as Bonnie squints at the map on the screen, trying to magnifying it but keeps closing the app instead. Kai takes it from her and puts it into his other pocket. "What kind of witches are we relying on technology?"

"Shitty drunk ones. I know! We'll use the stars to navigate," Bonnie gasps and points up and he barks out a laugh.

"Great idea. Watch this," he lifts his arms, spreading out his fingers and chants in Latin. At first nothing happens but then the stars begin to shift, drifting slowly downwards like confetti until they merge into one glittering shape. An arrow points directly atop of the island they can clearly see, like some pulsing neon sign. It is completely useless. Bonnie laughs so hard she doubles over, clutching at her sides and Kai takes out her phone and laughing hysterically he takes a picture of the two of them. It is a moment gone with a flash of light and the sound of a shutter but the evidence remains, even as the laughter dies. They can be happy.

Clutching her to his side as tears well in her eyes Kai moves her until her chest is pressed against his. Noticing the height discrepancy she corrects the difference by standing on the tips of his boots. Kai smiles, she still barely reaches his chin. "Do you think if I did this with my wife it would make up for what happened?"

Bonnie, still grinning, inhales and tries to calm herself before answering. She nods. "I think so."

"Thank god," Kai utters with relief and then kisses her. It is not the most skilled kiss, they are too drunk for that but the passion makes up for the lack of finesse. Bonnie melts into it as his hands cup her face and his tongue parts her lips. She tastes wine and bread and peppermint and then all she notices is the feel of him pressing against her, drawing her up as he deepens the kiss. Wet, slow and hot they make small moaning noises in their throat, neither aware of it until Bonnie's bumps into a wall, the waves lapping the beach below them. His hands move from her hips and down, hiking her knees up and she wraps her legs around him. Kai breaks away, growling in pleasure and she almost comes undone at the sound.

"This is like my biggest kink," he mumbles against her lips and Bonnie laughs low.

"Kissing in public?"

He nods. "And what comes after kissing. Also Bonnie Bennett swearing. All three and I'm out of control."

"I thought I was Bonnie Bennett-Parker?" she asks as he kisses her neck and then looks up. He frowns in confusion and then a beautiful slow smile breaks over his face. Her breath catches.

"...There you are," he whispers, like she had been hiding from him all this time. He rubs the back of his fingers against her cheeks softly and Bonnie smiles as he lowers his lips to hers. As the gentle kiss grows more feverish Bonnie jerks and almost screams into his mouth. "What is it?"

"Something brushed against my leg."

Kai grins, about to say something salacious when he jumps and looks down. A cat rubs against their shoes, purring contently and then Bonnie sees the others. The courtyard is filled with the animals but this time they do not spit and yowl but purr, a noise she has no idea how she missed. The noise is so loud that a light suddenly spills out over the horde and kissing couple as a man throws open his window. The cats and the witches give him a cursory glance before going about their business but as the man spots Bonnie and Kai he begins shaking his fist and then disappears. But if they or the cats thinks they can carry on in peace they are mistaken. Without warning a bucket of cold water is flung from the open window and the cats scatter to the winds.

The water just misses them and they break apart, following after the fleeing felines and accompanied by angry Greek voices, shouting at each other to shut up. They finally find themselves on a beach, where their small boats are anchored and Bonnie turns to him and knows that if he pushed her into the wet sand and pulled off her dress she would let him. She wants him to and not ask for permission, to just do it.

Kai pulls her into the boat instead, with her cell phone in hand. As the boat begins moving Kai sits, almost overturning it and Bonnie laughs as he tugs her down to sit on his lap. He kisses the back of her neck, his arms around her waist as he flicks over the screen, wanting to take another picture and opens the gallery by mistake. Bonnie smiles, looking up at the stars which are now back in their proper places and misses the way his smile freezes and then disappears completely but she notices the way his arms tense around her before he speaks.

"...What the fuck is this?"

"What?" Bonnie looks at the screen, which shines blue in the dark. The picture of the metal relic Vincent had sent her wavers in his hand and Bonnie stops breathing.

"Why do you have a picture of this? Where is it?!" he asks, his voice growing louder and Bonnie gasps as he pushes her off him, dropping to her knees. He turn her around roughly. He is furious. "Where is it!?"

"I don't know!" she shouts, the boat rocking violently as it comes to a stop and they stand. "You know what it is?" she says in accusation and Kai laughs, a hollow sound.

"Are you fucking with me? Why do you have a picture of the ascendant?" he asks in quiet suspicion, his hand tight around her arm and she narrows her eyes.

"The ascendant? That's what it's called? Why don't you tell me why you're acting crazy and then I _might_ tell you why it's on my phone."

He shakes his head, jaw clenching. He is white. "Just tell me if you have it. Please?" he begs roughly and Bonnie, her heart racing, thinks. She does not have it, it was stolen from her family, who she thinks were probably trying to destroy it. Through his anger she sees a desperation and something else. Fear.

"I don't have it. I don't even know what it is...but you do. Tell me."

He exhales, releasing the grip on her arm and Bonnie snatches it back, almost falling into the sea. He reaches out to steady her but she throws out a hand and he slams down into the boat. Kai sits up and drags his fingers through his hair.

"I'm too wasted for this. I'm sorry I grabbed you," he adds as she rubs her skin and he actually looks more appalled every second. "I really am. I didn't mean to I just - I just lost it. That thing on your cell is something that I would kill to get back."

"You would?" Bonnie inhales sharply and Kai knows this is the wrong thing to say and he stands suddenly as the boat bumps against the stone pier. They are back.

"You know I didn't do anything to them, I told you under the truth serum. The ascendant, it just - it just makes me..." he struggles to find the words, which Bonnie helpfully provides as she steps onto the pier. The sea is very choppy now.

"A paranoid freak? "

His lips quirk. "Yeah…" he sighs, still standing in the rocking boat. "I really need to know why you have it Bonnie."

"Or what?" she asks but he stays silent, just stares up at her with tired dark eyes. Bonnie feels a flare of reproach and grins. "How about we wait two weeks for _me_ to tell _you_ what I know? How does that sound? I mean getting to know each other is more important right?" Bonnie throws his words back at him as he shakes his head, irritated but calmer.

"Okay. We're both drunk and we just had a great, weird date and we're likely about to have the best sex ever. I fucked up. I'll make something to sober us up and afterwards we'll talk. Okay?"

Bonnie knows that she cannot wait weeks for the truth and who knows what state they will be in by then? She moves back as he finally alights on the pier, noting her wary stare and he just looks even more miserable. He hands her the cell phone like a peace offering and Bonnie takes it from him without a word and walks back to the villa. Kai follows and she hears the trees creaking and swaying, stones splitting and crumbling into dust as he spits out frustrated hexes at the earth around them.

It's going to be a long night.

* * *

**The acendant**

Sipping the mint potion Bonnie sits on the edge of the couch as Kai stares at the picture, his frown heavy. He had downed the potion he had made them in two gulps, the empty class resting on the coffee table.

"Huh. It's different."

"What?" she clutches the glass in her hands, still feeling a little jumpy but Kai has been calm and quiet. He looks at her with regret.

"The ascendant, it's a different one. It looks very similar but the stone in the centre and some of the details are different. I think it's older."

"...So you lost your mind over nothing?"

He purses his mouth, giving her a heavy lidded sardonic stare before she takes the cell from him. "Maybe it's been reworked, I don't know."

"Or there's more than one? Come on, I'm like forty percent sober now. Tell me."

Kai nods, inhaling a breath and she can see the way he is steeling himself up before he speaks. "The ascendant is a key."

"To your prison?" she guesses and he nods. "Where is it? I mean I know there's the big hidden complex in the Nevada desert and another off the coast of Canada but I'm pretty sure they don't have things like these. Just the usual locking and dampening spells."

"It's not a key to a building, it's a key to a world."

Bonnie opens her mouth and then shuts it. Her grandmother's words come back to her, about worlds that her family may have created thousands of years ago. She swallows and looks at the picture. "My family created it."

"What?" he hedges closer, leaning forward.

"My grandmother told me that centuries ago witches from my coven created parallel worlds. We're not sure why and since no one has been able to recreate the spells and even find these places the knowledge was forgotten. I thought it was just a story."

"It's not. I spent eighteen years in one," he answers grimly and it is Bonnie's turn to lean forward. "It's an entire world, exactly like this one only you're alone. Completely. There's no other people, no animals or magic. Just you and your shadow on an endless daily loop," he circles his finger round and round, losing focus. "I never aged. I was trapped in my own personal Groundhog Day hell."

"Except when you escaped sometimes?" she thinks of all the time she saw him before the merge. Kai shakes his head, dropping his finger.

"I was _released_ usually twice a year, sometimes more: Halloween and then June 21st. My birthday," he clarifies as she looks mystified. Bonnie feels a sizzling shame but then relief. She has not missed it.

"On compassionate grounds?" she asks and he nods, snorting humorlessly and she frowns. "But if you were out why didn't you run?"

He laughs and then turns his back to her, tugging his shirt out of his pants. The small white scar is old and healed and Bonnie allows herself to touch it gently. "That's why. I could live on the moon and I'd be right back to 1994 exactly twenty four hours later. The burn is a tracker and a locating spell. At midnight on those days the ascendant is automatically activated and beam me up Scotty."

He turns back around to her and she draws her hand onto her lap. Bonnie places her glass on the table. "1994?"

"...That's when I was imprisoned. It's always May 10th, 1994 in that world."

"My god," she breathes. "You really spent all that time alone?"

"Yup. I tried to have a routine, plan out the years," he puts this in quotation marks. "I travelled to a new place, took up a new hobby or skill. You know I can fly a plane and build a house from scratch? I can cook and pick locks like a pro. I'm a mean skater and I can play the piano and a thousand other skills...because when I wasn't occupied I was finding ways to kill myself but it never took. I couldn't die."

Bonnie listens to him talk, his voice conversational and strangely happy but his eyes are empty, his thoughts far away. Her throat tightening Bonnie can not envision what he must have gone through, how she would have coped.

"Who - who did that to you? Why?"

His eyes focus and flick to her. "My father. He's not exactly dad of the year...He and mom thought I was an abomination but I guess pushing me into a hole in reality was too cruel for them. So I got a whole world."

"Because you're a siphoner? That's crazy, your father is evil."

"...No, that wasn't why. I mean it was part of it but…" he inhales, holding it and then shakes his head. "I can't. You said that you can't know a person totally and this is something I can't share. Just know that I was punished because I did something worth being punished for. I didn't believe that then, I only cared about myself but...I pretty much deserved it," he nods and his eyes are glassy.

Bonnie shakes her head. "I don't know what you did but even the worst monsters are shown more compassion. Trust me, I've met them. We lock witches up who break the rules, who kill and torture but we still treat them like people. That world, I can't believe it was meant to be used as a prison, my family would not have a part in that."

Kai smiles. "I think your family has as many secrets as my coven Bon, maybe more...wanna share some?" he asks tiredly, sitting back and Bonnie nods, resting back into the couch. She faces him, drawing her knees up.

"I don't know everything, not even my grams has all the facts. All I know is that your sister, before she died sent the relic to Anna Bennett, the previous coven leader," the words sound so strange. Previous. "They were sapped of their magic, the Regent of New Orleans was there and said something grabbed him and he felt immense pain as his magic was taken. He woke up and they and the relic was gone."

"You think a siphoner attacked them? Interesting…there aren't that many of us. I think I've met a dozen in my entire life and they just fell through the cracks, stopped using magic. Living like normal, boring people…" he sighs and taps on the picture. "My father usually keeps hold of mine but I guess Jo stole it from him. Sneaky."

"Didn't you ever try to take it?"

"Can't touch it. Can't use a locating spell to find it either. We're like two polar opposites when we come into contact." he draws his hands apart and Bonnie nods in understanding.

"So Jo sent it to my coven, to keep it safe. I don't think they knew what it was but they formed the circle to find out. Maybe destroy it?"

Kai nods. "That's what I want. To find it and destroy it. My birthday is approaching…" he says and Bonnie feels something unpleasant leap up inside her.

"But you're the Gemini leader now, maybe the link is broken?"

He shrugs. "It's possible but I don't know. The merge with Jo happened after Halloween and I wasn't sent back but maybe the 24 hour period has been extended. It's happened before. I've been trying to shake my dad for information over that time. He's tighter than a fucking nun." Bonnie pulls a face at this line and he laughs. "Sorry."

"Why won't he tell you?"

"Because he's a dick? He hates that I'm now the leader, that a siphoner has taken his place. All that power went to his freak head...but maybe he has no idea either. It was my mom who gave me the brand as I slept but she's dead so…"

They sit in silence, listening to the calm resonance of the sea and their tired thoughts. It's almost three in the morning. Still half drunk and exhausted Bonnie yawns and knows she will not move. She looks back at Kai, who has been staring softly at her with a smile.

"What?"

"Don't you see? Your family are likely in another world, if they survived the siphoning."

Bonnie sits up and the room seems to slow and still, her heart and lungs stopping as the possibility settles and then when it does joy is ignited, spreading through the room. Chairs, pictures and rugs spin as she screams in delight and throws herself at him. He catches her in his arms, grinning.

"Oh my god! Oh please be true! Please, please," she cups his face, kissing him repeatedly all over his face and he laughs.

"I don't know what world it is, like I said that key looks different but it's a good probability. Even if some were hurt the world, if it was like mine, would heal any wounds. Originally I thought my coven had a hand in what happened, I was sure it was my father but if you think a siphoner did it...well, it's more than before right?"

"Stop, stop, I'm going to cry," she kisses his mouth to stop him talking, their teeth meeting as they grin and then he's grabbing the back of her head and kissing her breathless. They kiss until the burst of excitement fades to a steady warmth and as the sun just starts to rise the light climbs over Bonnie lying on top of him, kissing very slowly with his arms around her body.

"I really, _really_ want to make love to you right now but I don't want to fall asleep during our the first time," he says as they finally break apart. Bonnie smiles, her mouth throbbing with use. He might be decades out of practise but he is a good kisser.

"That would be unfortunate…" she brushes her lips along his cheek to his ear. "Sleep and then later you can demonstrate what sort of things you did with those girls in Portland."

His chest rumbles with laughter and she lays her head down on his shoulder. "I'll need a car, some birthday cake and a pair of ripped tights and I'll show you," he whispers and Bonnie imagines the feel of silky nylons being tightened around her wrists before she falls asleep...and into dreams that carry on the fantasy. It is a dark, frenzied and cramped copulation that seeps back and forth from their sleeping minds and when they wake late next morning neither says anything but it lingers in the corner of her mouth and the teasing brush of his fingers.

* * *

**The Malady**

The next day they plan to spend alone together, Kai shutting both of their phones away in a drawer, before Bonnie had sent a brief but hopeful message to her grandmother. They have hope that her family is alive but they can do nothing until they leave Greece, which will not be for another week. So the only distractions they are faced with is each other.

Bonnie, her hair in a messy bun, and in a purple pair of shorts and vest she slept in, balances along the edge of the garden wall. Kai sits crossed legged watching her, empty lunch plates and glasses before him. She stretches out her arms and then conducts an almost perfect pirouette. Kai claps, impressed and she bows shyly.

"I'm out of practice but not bad with this monster hangover."

"You did ballet?"

"Yeah," she admits, getting into position again and then smiles. "Guess that's something you don't know finally. I took lessons from the age of four until only a few years ago. It was either dancing or academia...now it's neither," she says hollowly and then stretches her leg over her head, gripping her ankle in hand. "I was unsure of what I wanted, what direction to take and I had many sleepless nights. So pointless."

She lowers her leg, hands on her hips as Kai shakes his head. "No it wasn't. You can teach, dance and be a witch. They're not mutually exclusive."

Bonnie gives him a look. "You think you'll have time to spend cooking up a storm or jetting over the Atlantic when you have some panicky district leader from LA demanding to know when the curse over a park or whatever will be lifted?"

"I'd tell him to do it himself," he waves a hand, beckoning to her and Bonnie steps down and sits beside him. He pulls her to his side and she watches the blue sea rolling.

"When did you know you could do magic? I mean the first time you really felt it?" she asks, thinking back to what her life was and what it is now.

"...Jo had a toy I wanted and wouldn't give it to me. I grabbed her arm and bingo, something much better than Stretch Armstrong. As for when I actually used it...I can't actually remember but I'm sure it must have been cloaking. That's the spell we're taught first. What about you?"

"...Dreams of the future," she says and Kai looks impressed again.

"Clairvoyant? Neat."

"Yeah...I dreamt of my mother leaving before she even left. I'd come out of kindergarten, expecting her to be gone but there she was at the gate...until one day she wasn't. I waited and waited, sitting on the wall until they had to call Grams to come pick me up. I stopped dreaming about her after that."

Tears well in her eyes and she brushes them away quickly. She has not cried over her abandonment for years but now with his arms around her and his strangely soothing voice in her ears the tears will not stop.

"It's okay...Do you know why she left?"

"No idea. It just became easier to pretend that she was dead," she says and then looks at him, remembering. "Sorry."

Kai shrugs. "My mom died when I was twenty, before I was imprisoned. There was no love loss."

"None?"

"I didn't love anyone Bonnie. My sisters, brothers. Nothing. I had soft spots for people sure but mostly they just bored me after awhile. It was weird when she died, especially because of how it affected the rest of them but I just acted along. I was good at fooling people." Kai looks at the disgusted expression that she is trying to hide and laughs. "Told ya, you married a monster."

"But you don't feel like that now right?"

"No, I don't," he whispers and presses the side of his face next to hers. "At first it was annoying, because with all the good stuff comes the bad and I was sooo unprepared. No one told me that's what the merge would do."

"...If you knew beforehand would you have still gone through with it?"

"Yes. I wanted what was mine and I got it," he says and Bonnie sits up, moving to face him on her knees.

"You know how possessive that sounds right?"

"I grew up knowing that I would one day kill my sister for a throne. Yeah I felt possessive over it because _I_ could have been the dead one. I wanted to live and get the leadership. You can thank you're crazy dead ancestor for that, by the way," he jokes and Bonnie rolls her eyes.

"We don't really know if the merge curse was down to her. It could have been Silas' fault for all we know or no one's," even as she says it she can't believe nature would be so cruel to inflict such punishment for so long. One of those two ancient witches screwed with the wrong kind of magic and they were still feeling the repercussions now. She looks at him in worry. "Is it true that if you die your coven goes down with you? Everyone?"

He nods. "That's why I want to find a way to break it. I didn't just go at this to be fawned over or whatever, I want to make changes. But I guess one thing at a time," he says and leans in to kiss her but Bonnie pulls back.

"We're married, I'm part of your coven. If you die does that mean I do too?"

Kai gazes at her in silence before he nods his head.

Bonnie gets to her feet, angry and fearful. "I thought it was just blood relations. I can't believe this. You're like the Original vampires aren't you? If they die so does their entire sireline but that's through blood. We're only connected through marriage."

Kai stands, taking her arms in his hands gently "That's why the Gemini coven leader has to produce heirs, so even if they die there's still the line of succession intact."

Bonnie's eyes widen. "I'm expected to produce kids for your crazy coven now?" she scoffs and shakes his arm off and Kai follows her into the kitchen, groaning.

"No, of course not. Surrogates are used a lot and I know for a fact my dad had a bunch of little bastards running around. Literally."

Bonnie's mouth falls open. "He had mistresses?"

"Of course," Kai shrugs. "His entire line depends on having twins with magic and he didn't stop with me and Jo _or_ Luke and Liv."

"So - so you have half siblings out there? Other sets of twins?"

"...Not anymore," he replies darkly and then looks like he wishes he had kept his mouth shut.

"What does that mean?" she asks carefully and Kai smiles.

"Nothing. I just don't count them as my family, that's all. The feeling is mutual," he says and brushes past Bonnie, who places a hand on the table. It seems for every sweet and good moment they prise up another rock to reveal more darkness below, a dark that stirs and slithers. She does not want to peer closer and he clearly does not want her to either.

 _This is dangerous. He's dangerous and he keeps secrets when it suits him._ She thinks, staring as water drips from the tap and recalls the guilt and sadness in his eyes and knows that whatever psycho drive that once pushed him to act he fights. But does that make it better?

 _No. But if I know more I'll run and he knows it too. Can I just leave it be?_ She wishes suddenly then that she could talk to Elena, who has fallen in love with another monster, the crimes of which Bonnie is well aware of. Elena has not run but then at least she has the option to if it becomes too much and Bonnie knows Stefan would let her go.

_He's right, we're trapped in a maze…even if we got lost we'd find each other eventually._

"Bon? Bon look," Kai's voice drifts from the sitting room and Bonnie leans off the table and goes to him. He stands before the mirror and she is about to make a comment about his vanity when he moves aside. Bonnie jumps.

"Agatha?" she asks as she steps before the mirror. The Greek witch is staring back at her through the glass. Bonnie touches it and feels only the solid mirror.

"Forgive the intrusion Anassa but you were not answering your mobile phone. So I had to relying on older methods."

"What's wrong?" Bonnie asks, seeing the apprehension on the witch's face and comes closer. Agatha rings her hands.

"I don't know how to begin, it's hard to explain."

"It's okay, just speak and we'll try to help," Bonnie assures but Kai says nothing, just listens. Agatha moves closer and lowers her voice as behind her blurry figures move this way and that.

"There is a child on the outskirts of the town, she's sick. Her - her malady was treated as best as we could but it has only grown worse."

"She can't go to the hospital?" Kai asks and Agatha shakes her head and eyes Kai intensely.

"It's not that kind of sickness and not something any healer can fix. She's...I don't know the word in English but she is a magical volcano and she's about to explode," Agatha says and Kai inhales sharply, apparently knowing what Agatha is saying but Bonnie is lost.

"I don't understand?"

"Some witches can't contain their magic, again from my defective damn coven. If they are not stopped they lose control and die. If this was happening back home it would be akin to wiping out Mystic Falls." Kai explains and Agatha nods, clearly relieved that he knows what she is talking about. "We'll be at the house. Text Bonnie the address." Kai instructs and Agatha nods, turning away from the mirror, which slowly begins to reflect the room they stand in and not the taverna.

"I've never heard of this before," Bonnie says as Kai pulls on his boots. She opens the drawer and pulls out their cell phone and finds a dozen urgent missed messages and calls from Agatha. The address appears and Bonnie reads it aloud, showing it to him before she hastily pulls on a skirt and blouse drying over a chair, back to him before using magic to buckle her sandals.

"You probably have but not known what was the real cause." Kai stands, taking the phone to look at the map and then nods. They hurry out, heading towards the boat but Kai stops her.

"We can't wait," he grabs her shoulders and Bonnie gasps.

"Teleportation? That's dangerous over water."

"I know," he says and then Bonnie feels a vibration striking through her, growing deeper more intense until the sea and sky start to shake and she squeezes her eyes shut. With a stomach rolling lurch they appear before the sea, the view different. Bonnie turns, dizzy and sees a small house at the end of a short dusty lane. Agatha waves at them from the door and Bonnie and Kai run towards her.

"Thank goodness. I didn't know what to do. They were talking about throwing her into the sea before they ran."

Not asking who _they_ are Bonnie enters the house, which seems to be filed with more sea sponges than furniture. Crates of it line the walls, along with nets and Bonnie thinks they must be a family of sea divers before every sponge begins pouring water. They gasp and step back as great torrents flood the room. Bonnie throws out her hands as salty spray drenches her, barking a spell. The water keeps on coming and Kai says the spell alongside her. The sponges shrink, drip and they sighs in relief before another deluge erupts from the crates.

"Our magic doesn't work right here, not this close to the child!" Agatha shouts as the house begins to creak and groan. The water is almost at their knees now. Bonnie grabs Kai's hand.

"Where's the kid?" he asks and Agatha points at a closed door. He nods and then orders her to get out. He looks at Bonnie. "You too."

"No way. Let's get the door open," she yells over the odd roaring in their ears and Kai grits his teeth but wades through the water towards the door, hand still in hers. Bonnie knocks. "Hello? Can you hear me? We - we're here to help." No one answers and Bonnie presses her ear to the door. She hears small wet sniffles and looks at Kai who tries to open the door. He shakes his head.

"Okay," he says and casting a swift look out of the window he presses his hands against the door. Red light flares through the cracks of his fingers and with a grunt the door finally swings open. More water pours out and Kai almost gets washed away but Bonnie grabs the door frame and pulls him to her.

"The house is gonna fall into the sea!" she shouts as they enters the bedroom. It is small and sparse but the few teddy bears and Barbie's floating around their waists tell them it belongs to a child. The girl sits on her mattress, which is floating in the corner of the room. Knees up to her chest and paralysed with fear she watches them with huge brown eyes.

For the first time Bonnie open up a telepathic link with Kai as he moves forward.

_Be gentle, she's very scared._

_…_ _I will. Try getting the water out_ , comes his reply. Bonnie nods, and begins chanting, waving and swooping her hands above the water. She directs it to the open window but it just crashes up the walls. Gritting her teeth she forces the water out of the door but it fights her. Kai gets down on his hunches, the water reaching his chest and smiles at the girl.

"Hi. I like your toy," a large action figure is clutched in her arms, along with a photograph. "Thor?" Kai tilts his head to look at the picture, which shows the girl and a boy of the same age. "Is that your brother?"

After a pause the girl nods. "…Twin."

"Ahh, right. He's not here?"

She shakes her head and fat tears fall down her grief stricken face. Kai nods in understanding, sighing a little.

"My name is Kai and this is Bonnie. What's your name?"

"…Athena."

Bonnie stumbles as the house tips. "Kai! I can't get the water out of the house, I can only push it from one end to the other," she shouts and he wraps his hand bruising tight around her wrist before looking back at the girl.

"I had a twin too but she died. She was just like you…was your brother like you?" He points at the picture and the girl shakes her head. Kai smiles. "But he helped?"

Athena nods and then looks down at the action figure and when Kai reaches forward she paddles back against the wall. He pauses, hands still outstretched over her arms and without touching red molten light shines softly over her skin. She does not scream or run, just stares at the gentle shifting lights on her arms before she looks up with an expression of joyful astonishment. Then she's throwing her arms around Kai's neck and he picks her up as the house meets the edge of the cliff, the water all at one side of the house.

"Out. Now."

Bonnie tries to teleport but whatever affliction the girl has it disrupts any attempts to use her magic to full effect. Growling she staggers for the door, pulling on tables and crates to reach it. Kai never lets go but as the house finally begins it's slide over the cliffedge Bonnie feels something slamming into her back and she is sent flying. Sprawling on the wet earth Bonnie just turns over in time to see the house disappearing and then a huge crash as it hits the sea.

"Kai!" she screams, scrabbling to her feet and running to the edge. The house sinks, one corner visible and as Agatha come panting to her side they throw out their hands, trying to stop it sinking any further.

"He cannot die!" Agatha yells in panic, saying it repeatedly but Bonnie hardly hears her. Her magic spikes and ebbs, not under her control and she grits her teeth, shaking with the effort to keep the house afloat but with an eruption of air and water the house finally sinks below the waves.

"No!" Bonnie whispers, staring at the circle of foam on the surface before Agatha grabs her and points. Athena breaks the surface, struggling to carry Kai's weight. She waves her arm, shouting at them and Bonnie races down the cliff face, stumbling to reach the small beach that Athena is trying to drag Kai to.

Falling to her knees, not feeling the cuts and scrapes, Bonnie throws out her hand. "Vodux," she folds her fingers into a fist and pulls sharply back. The girl and her husband are dragged from the water to the safety of the shore. Bonnie crawls to them, flipping Kai over with a flick of her hand, calling his name as Agatha falls beside them.

"He's not breathing," Bonnie sees water seeping from his mouth and suddenly becomes very calm, forgetting that she has magic as the training that she once had as a lifeguard kicks in. She tilts his head back but Athena slams her small hands against his chest with a yell and he convulses, his eyes flying open. Coughing and choking they turn him onto his side until he can breathe again.

"Thank god," Agatha breathes, slumping to the pebbles as Bonnie brushes his hair back, pulling him against her, taking must of his weight as he breathes in wet ragged gasps. Once he is able to speak he looks up at Bonnie.

"That – that was actually scary," he says and then laughs. Bonnie, tears in her eyes, kisses his wet hair, her arms around him. She leans over and hugs Athena, who pats Kai's chest gently.

"You saved his life."

"…I can hold my breath for four minutes," she says proudly and they laugh but then she is groaning and digging her fingers into the pebbles. They all feel the rising of magic around her. It is not over. Kai offers his hand, eyeing Agatha for a moment, and then the girl places her hand in his. Red light flares, Kai trying to be as gentle as possible but after an initial wince Athena exhales in relief as he siphons the excess magic from her. Bonnie looks at Agatha, who is wide eyed, and hopes that any shock or repulsion is overshadowed by what he has done.

"You risked your life," Bonnie says as he sits up, clutching at his sore throat.

"Yeah…and yours and yours and everyone in my coven. I forgot."

"What?"

"That I would stay dead this time," he shakes his head as Bonnie helps him to stand. She wraps her arms around him and he inhales and then laughs roughly. "This is nice."

"Please don't ever forget again," she admonishes gently, staring up into his eyes, which rove over her face, landing on her lips. He presses closer to her, chest still heaving and only when Agatha clears her throat do they look.

"I will take Athena back with me, look for her father tomorrow. Is – is she cured now?"

"No. It will rise again. She's about ten? Yeah, teach her how to channel her magic into things safely. It'll help for awhile but…well, we'll be back next summer right?" he looks at Bonnie, who nods without even thinking about it. This place is not just a vacation spot anymore. It feels like another home already.

Agatha nods, hugging Athena, but as they begin walking Kai calls to her. He places his finger to his lips and winks. "Understand?"

"Perfectly," she answers and if she hears the implicit threat she pretends not to. She smiles at Bonnie. "That was terrifying but I felt like Yoda on Dagobah," she says, pretending to lift something with narrowed eyes and Kai laughs. They watch them leaving hand in hand and once they are alone Kai suddenly grabs Bonnie and kisses her greedily, trying to speak at the same time.

"I almost died and all I could think about was you."

Adrenaline rushes through them in a heady rush, especially in Kai who has never felt his life slip so perilously or so finally from his fingers. Blood and air pumping through them he pushes her against the cliff side, both wet, muddy and shaking.

"How – how did you know what was wrong?" Bonnie asks between feverish kisses, Kai's lips on her throat.

"Jo had the same thing. We kept each other in balance," comes his muffled, distracted reply.

Bonnie blinks, mouth parting as another piece falls into place. "That's why they let you out. To help her."

"It was for the coven, not her. We were the backups. Can't have a backup if one of you is dead," Kai hikes up her legs, pressing his body into her but the rocks scrape against her back and she winces. Waves crash up against their feet, the tide coming in.

"Not here," she whispers, cupping his face and as they kiss she feels that familiar vibration, like a cord being plucked and then with a swirl of light and noise she is slammed up against the front door of the villa.

* * *

They stumble through the door, shedding shoes, wet t-shirts and skirts on the floor, leading a trail to the couch. Bonnie pulls on his belt as he rips her damp blouse open, sending buttons scattering. He throws it aside and then picks her up as they bang into the couch, Bonnie wrapping her legs around him. Kai tips them over, one hand on her back while the other presses against the couch. He brings her with him until her head bumps gently against the opposite armrest, cushions against her shoulders and hips.

"Now," she moans, using magic to snake his belt free of his damp jeans before helping him to get them down his legs but when she takes his hard length in her first he grabs her hands and pushes them back beside her head. He grins, nudging at her lips with his own before hooking his fingers into her bra and pulling until her breasts spill free. Bonnie groans, arching below him as he pinches and sucks with his fingers and mouth, while his other hand presses against her stomach. Bonnie jerks in anticipation and he looks up, his eyes alive with lust and mischief. His fingertips circle her bellybutton gently before trailing along the edge of her underwear.

"Please," she begs and he smiles, cocking his head

"What?"

Bonnie mews, paddling her bare feet against the armrest. "Nothing. Just don't stop."

He grins, kissing her hard before slotting against her side and Bonnie watches as his fingers slip into her panties and skirt delicately over her clitoris. She arches her neck, watching him fingering her, the hand caught in the confines of the fabric rhythmical rising and falling. He breathes against her neck, intensely turned on as he watches her reaction, biting his bottom lip as she gives little breathy pleas and whimpers. He presses his lips against her cheek as his fingers delve deep, coated by her and she bucks below him, gripping the cushion desperately.

"Not yet," he murmurs, withdrawing his fingers and the frustrated whine is half way to her lips when she feels a different pressure against her clit, circling hard and slow. Magic. Still gripping the cushions below her she watches as Kai hooks his fingers around her knickers and tugs them down her legs before settling between the apex of her thighs. Skin damp and sweaty they grind against each other for a moment before Kai takes her hips in hand, directing her movements as he draws himself against her in long, slow, wet strokes. Breathing hard, more turned on then she has ever been in her life, she lets him pin her hands down and then he buries himself inside her with one hard thrust.

"Kai," she breathes as he groans and grins in contented happiness.

"God you have no idea how long I've wanted this," he says against her lips. "When I first saw you at the mall I kinda just wanted to grab you and find the nearest janitors closet."

"Romantic," she quips but then gasps as he begins rolling his hips. She grips at his back, the palms of her hands sliding down to his ass as his thrusts become quicker. "And if you made it to that dark closet with sweet sixteen year old me? Then what?"

He half growls, half laughs and she almost loses it. "I would kiss you in the dark, suck all the air and fear out of you. I'd push you against the wall, slip my hand up your blouse and then get on my knees," his voice is low and husky, making her breath laboured. "I'd roll up that little skirt you were wearing, pull your tights and panties down and then eat your pussy out until you couldn't stand, until your legs trembled and you screamed," as he speaks the pressure against her clit returns, not feeling like fingers anymore and Bonnie yells his name and then places her hand over his mouth. He laughs, kissing her palm.

"I better stop talking, I'm gonna come otherwise. Is that conceited? he asks but Bonnie stops any full sentences that may have been forming. She rolls her hips, fingers scratching at his back as she bucks under him wildly, drawing blood. Kai gives an animalistic grunt, getting on his knees as she grips the arm rest by her head, the sound of her ass slapping against his thighs loud and sweaty. She gives little choked gasps, her muscles spasm and Kai picks her up, arms wrapping around her back as her hips jerk against his. With Bonnie clinging to his shoulders he begins whispering in her ear, but not the erotic fantasies of before. His soft voice whispers equally tender words, true words that have never left his mouth until that moment. Bonnie peaks with these utterances, Kai supporting her as she rides out the last of her orgasm before he reaches his own, his muscles stiffening as he comes deep inside her with rigid, quick thrusts, breathing out her name as the couch bangs repeatedly against the wall.

Pleasure slowly replaced by a sated quiet they hold each other, their laboured breathing filling the room. Bonnie winds her hands through his hair as he pants against her throat, making her hair flutter before pulling her even tighter to him. She looks into his eyes and he moves until their foreheads touch and then slowly lowers them back down to the couch.

The room resonates with the sound of the sea and the slowing of their heartbeats as they sink into sleep, again a mutual conduct of dreamy visions and sounds, too soft and fragile to discern but when they wake it lingers around them, warm and good.

* * *

**The Invite**

For the remaining week they spend it exploring more of the town, relaxing, playing, arguing and making love, usually in that order. They are invited to feasts and celebrations almost every night but they enjoy the taverna the most and the times when they make each other laugh so much they can't breathe.

On the eve of their departure Bonnie pads from the door, where their luggage waits, to the kitchen, wearing one of his baseball jerseys. He's an intense _Seattle Mariners_ fan. In her hand is a cream card, the corners embossed with gold patterns. She shows it to Kai, who is cooking them breakfast, who notices her wide eyes.

"What is it?" he takes it from her and reads aloud. "You are both cordially invited to the Summer Solstice Ball, London. Please see overleaf for information about local emissaries blah blah blah," he finishes and looks at her with an excited grin. "Holy shit."

"What is it?"

"It's an event that only the elite of the elite are invited to. Top tier coven leaders. My dad went a few times but he's too paranoid to have too much fun in case it kills him or something. We gotta go."

"June 21st. That's your birthday."

"Yup," he circles chocolate sauce over the batter in the pan, sucking some off his thumb. "I'll just pretend it's all for me."

"Of course…" she smirks, looking down at the card in thought. "The Archives is in London. I've been thinking if there's any place that can give me answers about the ascendant, siphoners and where my family might be it's there." Kai nods, not looking at her and she cocks her head. "Too boring for you?"

"No I love to read. I've just been there before, that's all," he shrugs, shaking the pan. Bonnie flicks the card against her fingers. If the link to the ascendant is still active he may disappear on that day. She could lose him in a crowd and never see him again. Bonnie touches his arm gently.

 _I'd lose him even if he was right in front of me,_ she thinks sadly and is surprised how intensely she feels it. Kai almost dying has mostly washed away the reluctance she felt, though she is still aware of what sort of man he was and can be. Those rocks are still dark things she does not wish to pry up. She smiles, masking her whirling emotions.

"We could do something else for your birthday? It's still a few weeks away."

"Don't you wanna see me in a proper tux?" he pouts, hooking his arm around her waist and brings her closer. "Cause I'd love to finally get that dance with you Bon. You've been holding out on me, not even the Macarena gets you moving."

Bonnie laughs. They have had sex multiple times but that elusive dance feels like the final line, strangely more intimate. She had thought making love with Kai would dissolve the sexual tension in her and it has but not in a way she had intended. It just solidified into a steadily burning heat in her belly that spreads through her veins. She had wondered what sort of man would meet a witch confidently at the end of her path in the woods and the answer is simple: another witch.

She kisses his cheek, nodding and he grins, flipping the pancake. "London here we come."


	3. Mystic Falls

**The Arrivals**

Luggage weighing down two trolleys they stare at each other as people rush to catch their flights or search through the arrivals for their loved ones.

"So…have a safe flight back," Bonnie says, feeling intensely awkward. She knew this was going to happen once they touched down in Richmond but now after spending an eventful and surprising two weeks together the brief, relief filled farewell she had envisioned at the beginning of the honeymoon does not happen.

"I'll see you in a week. Just one week," he smiles weakly, his eyes never leaving her face.

As Kai's connecting flight to Portland sounds over the intercom all the strange sheepish hesitance dissolves and they throw their arms round each other, kissing desperately. Now in a tight embrace they are faced with the dilemma they had been silently trying to avoid: they won't be able to let go.

"Come back with me," Kai demands, picking her up until the tip of her chucks balance against the floor.

"I can't. I have a council meeting in Salem tomorrow." Her honeymoon is officially over for the other Bennetts, now she must assume the role of leader. Kai growls, kissing her roughly and Bonnie grips his shoulders tightly, forgetting the world around them. But as the intercom announces the final call for the flight to Portland she pulls back, gasping. "You're gonna miss it."

"I'll catch another...in a week."

"Kai…you know neither of us will get any work done. Tomorrow is important, it's the first time I'm going before my coven as leader. I can't be distracted."

He smiles, nuzzling her mouth. "Oh, guess I should avoid calling then…" he grins when she scowls. They kiss repeatedly, trying to break apart until Bonnie has to push him. He gives her one hard, quick kiss before racing away with his trolley, shouting at people to move aside. If he did not run he would not be able to leave her side. Bonnie smiles, watching him go but feels something hollow in her stomach.

She turns to find her grandmother watching. Her eyebrow is cocked, her mouth quirked and Bonnie feels a flood of embarrassment before Sheila breaks into a big grin and throws out her arms. Tears in her eyes Bonnie hugs her grandmother.

* * *

**The Friend's Feed**

"Well, someone's had quite the vacation."

"I never imagined it would be like this. I thought when I got back home that would be it, we'd go our separate ways."

"…Isn't that what you've just done?" Sheila asks as they drive back into a rainy Mystic Falls. Bonnie watches the familiar houses flicking past, noting bizarrely how small it all seems now. How ordinary. Fidgeting with the crystal beads around her neck Bonnie shrugs.

"Physically yes, but…" she taps her head and sighs. Sheila lifts one hand off the steering wheel and taps lightly at her chest.

"What about here?"

"…I don't know. I mean two weeks ago I was toying with ways to kill him, now…I guess I don't hate him," she says, casting her grandmother a quick glance and when she sees the knowing smirk there she hides her own bashful smile against the curl of her fingers. Staring at the rain pebbled window she grows more sombre. "He's dangerous grams, he didn't hurt our family but he was capable of harming his. There are things he doesn't want to share."

"And are those things you want to know?"

"If Kai of all people is scared of something then it must be bad. Just the thought…" she drifts off, grimacing and Sheila nods sagely.

"When the truth is dark the mind will conger up the most creative things to replace it. If that truth is bloodstained…" she leaves off as Bonnie nods in understanding. What she does not know her imagination will fill in each gruesome possibility with gusto. What scares her is if the truth is even more frightening then the fantasy.

Bonnie distracts herself by looking down at her cell as Sheila speaks. "Your newly appointed secretary is already in Salem, he arrived from the Archives a week ago. His wife was one of the witches involved in the linking," she adds as they turn into Elena's street. Bonnie frowns, dragging her eyes away from the picture Kai has just sent her of the Appalachians.

"My secretory is a librarian?" dread floods her and she gasps. "Please tell me it's not Luka!"

Sheila laughs. "No, from reports he's not even a witch. His wife was assistant to Anna. Traditionally they always have close links to the libraries."

Bonnie nods, only half listening as she orders Kai not to hijack his plane and fly it back to her but as they suddenly start to slow she looks up…to see a person stepping in front of the car.

"Caroline!" she yells in surprise as the blonde vampire holds up a hand, her face breaking into an excited grin. Bonnie, who spots Elena on the sidewalk, bounces in her seat. She has not seen her two oldest friends in a very long time. She turns to grams, too excited to speak and she laughs.

"Go ahead, we'll catch up later. Just a heads up child, some discriminating evidence might have appeared on your feed."

"What?" Bonnie blinks, thinking of Kai and then looks to the side just in time to find Elena's cell phone pressed against the passenger side window. A blurry picture of her and Kai laughing drunkenly looks back at her. Their first picture together. There had not been any wedding photos, which she now regrets with a leaden weight.

Caroline's face suddenly appears beside the picture. "Bonnie. Shelia. Bennett!" she says sharply and Bonnie looks at her grandmother for back up but she just pats her cheek gently. Bonnie inhales, nodding.

"Okay, time to face the music…"

* * *

The fact that one of their oldest friends since infancy is not only married by now the leader of an entire coven is so much for her friends to manage that they seem to have divided these two revelations between them, like two tennis players battling one opponent.

"A June wedding! A _June_ wedding!"

"Do we have to curtsy to you now? Am I even allowed to look you in the eye?"

"And married to another leader?! You're like double the regal."

"It happened so fast, I mean I think it did, I didn't even know you were dating. Oh my god Bonnie are you pregnant? Was it a shot gun wedding? Hex wand wedding?"

"When the first picture appeared on your feed we thought he was a hook up but then more and more. You never post like that, not even when you were with Jeremy."

"Bonnie Parker. I miss the alliteration."

As Caroline finally stops for breath and Elena is distracted by flicking through her pictures Bonnie takes the chance to volley back their multiple questions.

"Okay. The date was out my hands. June is still your month Caro. No you don't have to curtsy or anything else. No I'm not pregnant but yeah it kinda was a shot gun wedding. It was arranged," she waves her hand as their eyes widen in outrage, continuing before they can speak. "The selfies clogged up your feed without me knowing because Kai is a menace and posted them without me knowing. And my name is Bonnie Bennett, there's just an addition at the end now. Okay?"

"No," they say in unison and Bonnie sighs, slumping onto her back on Elena's bed. Her friends sit either side of her, the initial excitement and scandal fading. Now they just look confused. And hurt.

"I'm sorry I never told you. When I left high school my life was so different, so separate from my old life that sometimes it felt like I was looking down at you from the moon."

"You can send texts from the moon, maybe even send wedding invitations," Caroline says softly and Bonnie nods, sitting up.

"I know. I half wanted you there but tradition said that I couldn't bring anyone who wasn't immediate family or a witch."

"Half wanted?" Elena frowns.

Bonnie's stomach knots. This has been the thing she had dreaded, the thing that throughout their excitement - that she is married to a man they are already wildly intrigued by, a man that they have seen her kiss and hug in pictures – they do not see the dark strain and wildness of their relationship.

"I told you it was arranged. I didn't know him, he didn't know me but this thing had to happen. An arrangement, nothing personal. I thought I could take my heart out of it, it wasn't real so why get mushy? Why get both of you excited and happy for me when at the time I was miserable. No," she corrects as they take her hands. "I was angry. I hated him, I didn't trust him. He – he's dangerous, dangerous like the Salvatores, like Klaus…but he changed and I don't think there's any going back for him."

"And you?" Elena asks, gazing at her gently as Caroline rubs her back.

Bonnie shrugs. "The only thing I can do is to go forward. I have members that depend on me now, to find answers and if I'm lucky, a way to make things right. I – I think I can do that with him beside me."

"That's what you _think_ , what do you feel?" Caroline asks and Bonnie laughs, shrugging.

"I have no idea. He's the leader, like I am. We're in totally different places compared to a week ago. It's going to be different. The goof who liked to make me blueberry pancakes and make the stars spell out my name…I don't know if I'll see him when I face the Gemini leader."

Elena smiles, understanding. "Maybe that depends if the person he sees next is Bonnie Bennett or the _High Priestess of the East Coast_ ," she says grandly and then inclines her head formally. They giggle but then she see the realisation settle on Elena's face and Bonnie pins the exact moment her friend begins to see her as another person, like a light has just illuminated a side of her that had previously been invisible.

The gulf that has been in affect since she left high school, since she cut those ties that almost got her grandmother killed, widens but this time for very different reasons. She is not the same and soon all her old friends will know and slowly begin to accept it…if she does. Bonnie grips Elena's hand, smiling hard and then takes Caroline's. "I promise that I'll flood you with pictures and messages about me, not the priestess. Okay? I need to remind myself who I am."

They nod in agreement, swearing solemn vows before they drag Bonnie off the bed, Caroline jumping around happily.

"Okay so you can't recreate the wedding…right?" she asks, eyes wide and Bonnie shakes her head with a laugh. "Okay, so the only thing we can do is to have a post hen night party!" she cries out and then from behind Elena's mirror she pulls out a box, which seems to be full of feathers.

"Boa up girls, the night is calling," Caroline says as she places a _Just Married_ sign around Bonnie's neck and she looks in the mirror and laughs. Tomorrow her life as the coven leader will start, let tonight by the last hurrah of Bonnie Bennett the newlywed.

* * *

**Winter's Island**

Bonnie adjusts the wreath of amaranth that circles her thumping head, staring at her reflection. The night is a hazy vision of dirty laughter and happy tears, one that she cherishes. She wishes she had Kai's hangover recipe however. She focuses on her appearance. She has opted for a high necked white shirt and a dark grey pant suit with blazer. She has a severe, Victorian air but she feels anything but. Stomach turning over and over she looks at her grandmother, who has a simple sprig of the flower pinned to her lapel.

"I feel like I should be more priestessy. Maybe I should have gone with the long dress?"

"You look fine. Trust me dressing up gets old quick when you're called to council meetings every week. Anna usually strolled up in cut offs and sneakers."

Bonnie smiles, thinking of her loud and tall aunt, the opposite to Sheila Bennett. She is not sure when it happened but the painful ache when she thinks about Anna, or those who took part in the linking, does not hit her so hard. Hope is a balm, a strangely invigorating one. Her family could be alive and that is what she will tell the other council members today.

"Are they already here?" she asks, staring out the window of her suite. The headquarters of the Bennett Coven resides in Salem, on an island overlooking the harbour. The building, which just looks like an old abandoned ruin, is circled with layer upon layer of warding charms to repeal those not invited. The coven leader has her own suit, which takes up the entire top floor.

"Waiting in the chamber," Sheila says as they make their way from the room, Bonnie trying not to throw up. She touches her pocket and then draws her hand away. She had turned her phone off, the temptation to talk to Kai too much. Mind whirling from her husband thousands of miles away to the room of witches a floor below Bonnie does not sense the man rounding the corner until books, paper and Bonnie Bennett are sent flying to the floor.

"Oww."

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I couldn't see, cause of the books," the man gasps as he reaches down to gather up his notes, then stares at the crown on her head, realises that he has just knocked the coven leader down and drops the papers again. "Let me – let me help you up."

Her butt sore but amused Bonnie accepts his help, taking note of his appearance. He is a few years older than herself, with curly brown hair and wide set, large green eyes. He is handsome but with his huge eyes he looks constantly surprised. Her amusement deepens at the red flush over his cheeks as he steps back, scratching the back of his head and then offers his other had.

"I'm Atticus Shane. Your adviser," he says this like he's breaking a death and Bonnie laughs.

"You're the secretary?"

"Yeah. I understand if you wanna reconsider but I promise I'm not usually so clumsy. I handle delicate things for a living."

"I don't bruise so easy," she says as Sheila dusts off the back of her blazer and Bonnie straightens the crown again. Shane gathers the fallen papers, Sheila taking some of the books from him, giving him a wink. Clearly they have met before. Despite the bumpy start if her grams likes him then having him as her adviser makes her feel more confident.

"So, anything I should know before I head in?"

"This is the list of the sitters. You'll find nine representatives from different districts, mostly second in commands and relations to the…departed," he says and Bonnie looks at him, remembering that grams had said Shane's wife had been one of the witches in the linking.

"…The other four?"

"Retired coven leaders."

Bonnie stops as they reach the landing, where numerous portraits of old leaders hang. Most are dead now but Bennetts can live for a long, long time. She stares at a picture of a tiny, white haired woman, who scowls in judgement and her heart sinks. "Ernestine?"

"She's present, yes." Shane says and Bonnie groans. Sheila laughs and takes Bonnie's hand.

"Her bark is worse than her bite. She's sharp as a blade, she was the one that built this place."

"And now some stranger is going to give her orders."

"Not orders. It's a council, you reach an agreement."

"Right," Bonnie shakes her head, closing her eyes and wonders what Kai is doing. He also has a meeting with his own members, members who had been involved in locking him up for years and did nothing. Whatever happens in the chambers it can't match the horrible tension that Kai must be feeling.

Bonnie kisses Sheila's cheek, who leaves her with Shane. She will be in the room, as acting regent. Bonnie looks back at the portraits, finding her aunt and notices necklace that she wears, realising that all are adorned such.

"I don't…"

"You won't, not until you're officially ordained. You know, like a coronation," Shane says, looking between her and the pictures. "It should have happened already but with the wedding…"

"Right…so I'm not officially the leader?"

"Kinda? You've been elected but the swearing in has yet to be performed."

Bonnie nods, feeling even more unstable. She is the leader but she's not. What she has to say feels even more flimsy and insubstantial than ever, her ideas and hopes easily dismissed with a wave. She has to make them believe, to inhale her words. Seeing her uncertainty Shane pats her shoulder, almost upending his papers again.

She inhales deeply, holding it before descending the wooden staircase to the marble foyer below. The great chamber doors open silently, letting her pass and the people sitting around table in the wood panelled room turn to her. She keeps her head up, hands at her sides until she sits on the highest backed chair, Shane taking the chair just set back from her own.

Fire burns in a dish in the centre of the table, smelling strongly of sage. It casts the council members faces in shifting light and shadow, warm one moment and dark the next. She must look the same and the thought gives her a little more strength.

"I remember you when you was this high," an elderly man says, his bald head shinning. His smile is friendly, though Bonnie hardly recalls him. "This was before your mama left."

"Good riddance," Ernestine says, her voice surprisingly strong and melodious. Bonnie clamps down on the pain rising through her centre.

"We're here to talk about the previous council members and what happened to them."

"They're dead," a beautiful woman says bluntly, who Bonnie does recall. Her name is Bree and she owns a bar. She had been the life of the party at family gatherings. "My husband is dead…or is Sheila right? You think otherwise?"

"That's what we're here to discuss. I have information that points to the possibility that they might not be."

"Yeah, Gemini information," a girl scoffs, who looks like she should be in high school. "They're liars and any information that they might give us comes with strings," she tugs an imaginary puppet and Bonnie frowns at her but someone else comes to her defence.

"A Bennett witch is not so easily fooled or played with," Ernestine says and the other members nod in agreement.

"I used a truth serum to get this information. If any strings were pulled they were tightly connected to my fingers," Bonnie says to chuckles. It is half the truth; she does not have to tell them the majority of the information came from Kai voluntarily.

"So what did the Parker boy say?" the bald man says. Bonnie looks down at the seating plan Shane gave her and sees he is called James.

"A lot, so please just listen and ask questions until after I finish. There's things I don't know and neither does he." Lies but again not for them to know. She wants them to believe she has Kai under sway, who they clearly do not trust purely for being a Gemini.

"Okay, we're all ears," Bree says and Bonnie licks her lips, inhales and then begins. She speaks for an hour or more, starting with the gifts from the Regent of New Orleans, diverting back to her coming of age presentation, to a week ago in Greece and back round again. It is a tale that is confused and nonlinear, broken by realisations and sudden connections as she speaks. She also has to omit personal moments, though finding herself praising Kai for risking his life. Finally, when she shows them the picture of the ascendant the members look a little more understating.

"I, uh, I probably should have written it down first."

"I got the gist," the young girl says, who is called Yasmin, who seems to have softened to her. Bonnie looks at Shane, who whispers in her ear. He has been taking minutes, a pearl handled pen that absorbs the things said in layers, even as he writes.

"We'll have to spend some time doing that, getting your account recorded."

She nods as the members pass the picture of the ascendant around. Ernestine shakes her head. "Told them not to mess with it, not to get involved with Gemini business but they didn't listen."

"Why did they mess with it?"

"Curiosity, of course," James says. "The relic was immensely powerful; as soon as you were in the room with it you felt it. Evil thing but what Shane found out got them worked up."

Surprised, Bonnie turns to her adviser, who looks startled at being mentioned. "Oh. Well I just offered theories."

"What?" Bonnie asks and everyone stares at him. He is the only human in the room. If she was human she would be shivering with fear if thirteen witches were staring at her. To his credit he only bangs his knees when he stands up, putting his notes on the table.

"I work at the Bennett wing at the Archives, as you know, but my field is in archaeology. Finding lost and buried magical objects. Jo Parker knew this and sent that relic to me."

"The ascendant? Why did she have it?"

"She found it. Before the merge she was staying on the island you just came back from. She dreamt about a woman calling to her from the sea every night. Finally she had a look and found that."

"Buried treasure?" Bonnie says and then vividly recalls Kai trying to perused her to go swimming to find cursed jewellery. They never did manage. When she tells him this he is going to go crazy. "Why did Jo, a Gemini, send it to you?"

Shane smiles a little sheepishly. "My other little passion is the history between your coven and theirs. If you can't find me in the Bennett archives it's because I'm usually snooping around the Gemini shelves."

As he says this Bonnie feels with an intense surety that Kai must have tracked down Shane, likely threatened him but clearly left him alive. He had told her he had been to the Archives before, which explains his reluctance but maybe this is why. He lied.

_Stop. Don't jump to conclusions. Speak to Shane after the meeting._

Keeping her face impassive and her feelings masked in a room full of witches who can detect changes in the atmosphere is hard but she manages it, she hopes. Bonnie taps the phone as it comes back to her, noting the Kai has sent a picture of himself with his fingers cocked at his temple. She pockets it.

"The relic is different from the one that helped to imprison Kai, though very similar."

Shane nods. "I suspect that there was an attempt to recreate the one Jo found, which was very old."

"Recreate?" Ernestine asks, which must be new information. Shane nods, turning to the rest of the group. He had only been focused on Bonnie.

"If Kai is telling the truth and the ascendant is a way to transport to another world then think of it like a key. Keys can be cut, more sets made."

Bonnie shakes her head. "But Jo only found that last year. Kai was imprisoned in 1994, which is when his key was made." At least she thinks it was, thinking of the old brand on Kai's back.

Shane smiles and pushes a photograph from the pile on the table towards Bonnie. She looks down and sees a very detailed drawing of the Greek ascendant, a drawing that appears to be on some kind of scroll.

"There have been depictions of this device recorded for thousands of years. I had seen it but when Jo sent the relic to me I spent weeks and weeks trying to remember where. I searched through the entire Gemini Archive and found nothing but then my wife reminded me _who_ Jo sent it to," he smiles fondly, fiddling with his wedding ring. "The parchment and others were buried deep in the Bennett Archives, barely noticed but there it was."

"…It's a Bennett relic?" Bonnie stares at Shane in amazement as he nods, grinning but someone is not so pleased.

"Some things that are buried deep are like that for a reason Indiana Jones," Ernestine chastises. "That thing and the history it's attached to is not something to be dragged up. The poor Parker girl should have left it at the bottom of the ocean."

The members nod but Bonnie frowns. "Even if there's a chance that we can rescue them? If they are in another world then there's a way in and a key out there somewhere."

Yasmin shakes her head, who Bonnie is started to doubt is really as young as she appears. "A key that a Gemini stole and likely killed for. Let's just say they are in this world. Thirteen of our most powerful and skilled witches can't let us know they're alive?"

"Maybe they're stuck? I don't know but I am going to find that ascendant because even the _possibility_ is more than any of us had months ago. I know you don't know me but if there's one thing you should it's that I don't sit and do nothing if people I love are in danger or need help. I don't give up."

As she finishes Bonnie thinks she spots a small pleased smile on old Ernestine's face but then the fire flickers and she is scowling again.

"I'm getting stiff sittin," the ex-leader grumbles, shifting in her seat and Bree helps her to stand. She inclines her head as they leave, Bonnie half wondering if she should excuse them but then they're gone. Annoyed but relieved that the meeting has come to an impromptu end she turns to Shane again.

"I need a history lesson. Tomorrow," she says, tired. She's been on her butt for hours but she is exhausted.

"I'll pencil it in. Shall I come back with you?"

Bonnie nods and they exchange numbers. As she sees the image if his wife Caitlin on his phone she smiles, recognising her, though they had hardly talked. "She's English right?"

"Yeah. Thanks for addressing her in the present tense, I believe she is very much in the present too." He says confidently and Bonnie smiles, her heart going out to him while also feeling conviction. She is not alone in believing her family is alive. Shane taps the picture. "Before she was appointed Anna's secretary she worked in the Bennett Archives. I was teaching occult in this weird little place in London and that's how we met. She couldn't keep what she was a secret for long and I got to see the things I was teaching were real."

Bonnie smiles, imagining how mind-blowing that must have been. She looks down at her own cell, remembering Kai and then looks back up. "Have – have you met him before?" she shows him Kai's picture.

His huge green eyes widen and he goes very still. He opens his mouth, as if bursting to speak but then he leans back, a dreamy denial on his face as he stares at Kai again. "No, sorry, never seen him."

Bonnie nods, trying to smile but her heart is thudding. Vampires can compel people to do anything, an ability that is gifted to them along with their immortality, all possible because of one factor: magic. Kai seems to have compelled Shane to forget him. Gripping her cell phone in a shaking hand Bonnie forces herself to calm before she sends him a text she can't take back. Maybe Shane has never meet him, maybe he has. He does have that bumbling, forgetful professor vibe.

She thanks him as Sheila hands her coat. Bonnie realises then that her grandmother had not spoken a word and Bonnie asks why as they all make their way to her car. Sheila smiles.

"They came to see the High Priestess, not me."

"Was I okay?"

"You were more than okay. You should be proud of yourself. You got Ernie to crack a smile."

Bonnie, pleased to be right, gets into the car along with Shane as rain starts to fall softly. It will take hours to reach Mystic Falls, enough time for Shane to spill everything he knows...

* * *

**The Menagerie**

Which turns out takes more time than it took to reach Mystic Falls. Tired, her head thumping, Bonnie collapses onto her bed, staring at the ceiling as the last of the light starts to fade away. She pulls out her cell, notes the numerous missed calls and throws it across the bed limply. She cannot deal with Kai right now, not after a day filled with so much talking. Kai could speechify anyone to death…and then make them forget.

 _Oh, why does this keep on happening_ , she thinks and groans, throwing an arm over her eyes. She is convinced now that her husband did meet Shane, who has no recollection of the meeting. Kai must have been searching for the 1994 ascendant and would naturally go to the Gemini Archives. It is not out of the realm of possibility that he ran into Shane…but why not tell her? As she thinks a taping noise reaches her ears and she looks at the window. Nothing. She closes her eyes again, trying to clear her mind.

_Tap._

_Tap._

_Tap._

_Tap._

Bonnie sits up, looking around the room. The noise is not coming from the window or even the door. It's coming from the mirror. Shuffling to the end of the bed she peers at the floor length glass, which is now silent but as she watches a small patch of steam billows over the glass and then an invisible finger proceeds to draw a heart.

"…Kai," she whispers and despite the suspicions of today she grins when he suddenly appears in the mirror. As Agatha had done in Greece her reflection is now gone and over Kai's shoulder she can see an unfamiliar bedroom. His.

"You weren't answering," Kai is dressed in a crumpled blue shirt and pants, looking as tired as she feels.

"I've been busy," she says as he lays his hands flat on the mirror he is standing before.

"Come closer," he says, hungry eyes roving over her face and body. She slips off the bed and walks to the mirror, head cocking to the side.

"It's like you're right here," she whispers, pressing a hand to the surface, over his but all she feels is the glass under her skin. She sighs anyway.

"I wish. So, how was the family reunion?"

"Weird but I think I convinced them that there's a way to save them. How was yours?"

He shrugs, grinning. "Still here. One of the main reasons I even went was to see if one of those assholes had the ascendant. No one used it so it seems they're either bidding their time or they don't have it."

She nods, moving closer to the mirror. She should tell him what happened at the meeting but the desire is not there, only another and more pressing. She draws her finger along his cheek, a caress that he cannot feel but his breath fogs up the mirror.

"So, speaking of ascendants…anything you wanna tell me?"

"...No? But I'm guessing from your tone I should?"

She shrugs, slowly turning so her shoulder faces him. "Do you know who my newly appointed adviser is?" she asks and Kai shakes his head, eyes lazily trailing down her throat. "…Atticus Shane."

Kai's eyes snap to her face. "…Who?"

"Don't. Try. It," she says, tapping the glass with each word and conflict dances in his eyes. As she walks away from the mirror, back to him, she hears it jerk but when she looks back it's upright and Kai is pressed against it.

"Okay, okay. I know the name."

"You met him."

"Yes, okay? I was researching the ascendant, came across him there who told me something I didn't like."

"What? What did you do?"

"It was nothing."

"What?"

"I set fire to his research and he freaked the fuck out. I put it out again, not a singe on anything and made him forget for his own delicate sensibilities," he shrugs again but then shakes his head. "I don't like him, he gave me the creeps."

Bonnie laughs in amazement. "Someone gave _you_ the creeps?"

"I'm actually keenly attuned to people. He's a weirdo."

"You don't get to call people names. You lied to me, again. You knew Jo had found something and said nothing. You knew all along that my family were in another world."

Kai exhales in frustration, looking around the edge of the mirror as if trying to find a way in. "I knew there was something there, that she had made a discovery but not about your family. I thought it was _my_ ascendant. I had no idea there was another. That's why I asked you to come search with me."

"Because you thought your ascendant was down there? A thing that you can't actually touch," she remembers. "No wonder you wanted me to go along, you needed me."

Kai shakes his head, banging his palms on the glass. "Not everything I do is a manipulation. Yes I suspected it might have been there but I wasn't sure. At that point I didn't know if I could trust you but I still asked."

"Cause you needed me to locate it."

"Bonnie…I trust no one. Literally, until you. You could use it against me, I didn't know what you knew or what you were hiding but for some crazy reason I told you what had happened. You know now there's a weapon out there, a key that can lock me up, you can use that…but I'm hoping that through all the fights and everything else you actually started to trust me too."

"You can't trust someone if they keep things from you," she counters and he nods, smiling.

"I know. Come on, lets make a promise. We'll tell each other what we learn and know? I'll tell you information that will help you."

"In return for Bennett secrets?" she shakes her head.

"Information that relates to me and my coven, yes. I'll do the same for you," he says sincerely but Bonnie is unsure. Kai makes a fist and punches very gently against the mirror. "I wish I could be in that room right now. I think this is fucking with my vocals."

She smiles, coming closer. "Guess you're not so persuasive when you're stuck behind a millimetre of glass three thousand miles away," she jokes but as the distance becomes more solid and so far away her smile fades. Kai tilts his head, eyes half hooded.

"I don't know, I think I can talk a fair game. Come here," he whispers and she does it, stopping when she is inches from his refection. She presses her forehead to the warm glass, staring into his eyes. Below the anger, the frustration and the strange dark excitement is a feeling she has been trying to ignore. She misses him. She barely knows him, what she does should make her run and yet her body yearns to feel his lips on hers.

"This is kinda pathetic, you know. It's been what? Seventy two hours? We're gonna see each other in a few days."

"I know. I can't wait, it's gonna be so much fun." He grins in excitement and then sighs. His fingers trace over the bridge of her nose and then over her lips. "I want to touch you," the glass fogs as he speaks, his fingertips now running down the slope of her throat. Bonnie lets her head fall back, staring at him under heavy lids.

"You are."

"Are you getting ready for bed? Don't let me stop you…" he whispers it, eyes on hers and Bonnie inhales deeply, her heart beating hard. She smirks softly. She lifts her hands to unbutton the top of her blouse, his fingertips tracing her clavicle but as she slowly unbuttons his hand follows, gliding over the exposed skin that he can see. She had unhooked and taken her bra off as soon as she got home and as she lowers her hands his fingers graze between the bare valley of her breasts. Heart pounding wildly she watches his finger descend lower, circling her belly button before reaching the top of her pants. His dark blue eyes look at her, his gaze smouldering. She hesitates.

"Are you finished?"

"…I should. This is strange."

He smirks softly. "This is foreplay with a witch."

"Hmm and no pay off…?" she murmurs, watching him bite his lip in agonised anticipation before she tilts her head to the side and closes her eyes. She pops one of the buttons free and slips her hand slowly into her pants. This time she feels the way the mirror shakes as he grips the side of his, exhaling. Eyes closed she does not see the way his eyes flick from her hidden hand moving to her other which tickles along her ribs, a teasing touch before she cups a breast in her hand and squeezes slowly.

"Fuck."

Bonnie groans at the sound of his strained voice, her fingers rubbing over the fabric of her panties, pleasure spiking through her before waves of it make her gasp, the mirror fogging. Biting her lips she tries to breathe through her nose but she cannot, moaning his name softly and the mirror trembles again. Circling her clit faster she yells loudly, her legs shaking and drops to her knees, free hand pressing against the mirror. Orgasm rushing through her she cries out his name and he hers.

"I need to see you now. Right now," his voice is guttural as she opens her eyes. Kai breathes heavily, sweating and she looks lower. She had not been the only one chasing pleasure. Inhibition now smothered by a dazed and languid arousal she gets on her hands, crawls forward and with one long swipe licks the mirror.

It cracks from side to side as his eyes widen in a crazed look. On his knees now he paws at the glass, desperate and she wishes she could drag him through to her. "I can't wait until London," she moans, pressing against the glass, where his reflection starts to flicker. He has damaged the connection. Staring at each other intensely they realise the answer at the same time.

"The Mall."

"How quickly can you get there?"

"Fifteen minutes. You?" Bonnie jumps to her feet, hastily buttoning her clothes as he moves out of the frame but she can hear him.

"Ten. Where?"

"The – the Menagerie."

Car keys in hand, dishevelled and breathless they stare at each other, frozen before they race for the doors. The mirrors separated by thousands of miles but connected by one magical spell slowly fades to show the true reflections of the rooms they inhabit.

* * *

The Menagerie is a hotel set within the centre of the Mall, so called for the massive glass domed café attached to it that houses an impressive collection of magical and extinct birds. They fly from tree to tree, filling the dome with their song as witches enjoy a drink or a meal. One of Bonnie's earliest memories is of her mother taking her to see the massive cage with the phoenix, a huge peacock like bird, who had slept the entire time and not a flame in sight. Abby Bennett had taken a picture of two year old Bonnie pouting, the long orange tail feathers in the cage behind her. The picture, along with her mother, is missing. Now she hardly remembers.

The trees grow dense further from the café, the paths narrowing until they disappear into the dark and dripping foliage. Not a place to be observed but animals peer down at the two witches as they move, grinding up against a tree. They had run from their respective wings of the mall, Kai from the west and Bonnie from the east, meeting in the middle. Throwing her arms round him he had pulled her into the trees, deeper and deeper until they could not take another step.

Legs wrapped around his thrusting hips, her trousers swaying from a branch, Bonnie kisses him as he wildly pounds into her. So desperately aroused he will not last long, which he breathily apologises for before he loses the ability to speak. Crying out, not caring if they have cloaked themselves or not Kai spends himself deep inside her, fingers digging hard into the back of her thighs as she screws his rumpled shirt in her fists.

Birds suddenly take wing, trilling liquid song or screaming and Bonnie watches them flying overhead, the sound of their wings beating almost drowning out their panting. She then buries her face against his neck as he supports her body, still within her. They remain this way until their breathing calms and he pulls away, kissing her face tenderly. The air is quiet, the birds settling. Kai grins.

"Hi."

Bonnie smiles tiredly, hands framing his face. "Hi…how was your day?" she asks and they laugh, stepping back and taking in the sight of each other. They are both sweaty messes. They laugh harder as Kai buckles his belt and Bonnie tries to get her pants down from a high branch. He hooks his arm around her body, pressing against her back as he reaches up to get them for her.

"You're so small," he whispers into her ear as he hands her the pants, pink underwear still inside them. He had ripped them both down her legs and then thrown them away in his haste. They are grass stained, where she had initially pushed him against the tree and fallen to her knees, taking him into her mouth. He had lost his mind then and she wanted to finish him off this way but he wanted to be inside her, eye to eye.

Now she turns in the circle of his arms, buttoning her silk blouse as best she can. A few of them are missing. Now she thinks about it he owes her after one too many ruined tops and shredded knickers. But shopping will have wait, she is falling asleep in the crook of his arms.

"Get a room," she murmurs into his ear and he smiles into her hair, taking her hand.

"I know just the one. Come on," he draws her from the tree, passing the huge filigree gold cage that houses the phoenix, who is very much awake. It watches them walk by, a couple too consumed with each other to notice the burning feathers that float downwards from the bird's perch, ash collecting into a pile below as they settle.

* * *

The next morning Bonnie wakes in an unfamiliar room, disorientated before she remembers. They had made love once more but then fell asleep in each other's arms, too tired to even speak. She thinks back on the mirror seduction, her cheeks heating and with a detached scrutiny she ponders how she is changing. She is always had a quiet and hot drive, but nothing like this desire.

_Our marriage is cursed, likely by a vengeful witch thousands of years ago. What if this is nature's way of restoring some kind of balance?_

Bonnie considers it as she hears Kai showering but immediately feels cold. That she has no choice or agency over these feelings, that her magic is pulsing with a strange and foreign element making her burn is not something she can accept. She is a powerful witch and until she had met Kai she had not known how deeply she could connect with another, just as powerful. Like calls to like and if right now it is just this searing heat then so be it. That she can accept, anything more…

Absent minded she plays with the beads she now wears around her left wrist like Kai, which she thinks of as their make shift wedding rings. Most witches do not adorn rings to mark their marital status, but some do in their personal and individual ways, if at all. She stares up at the coloured glass doom, which pulses with dawn light, rippling over the bed and walls in rainbow hues. Kai comes out to find Bonnie bathed so and stops drying his hair, smiling softly. His appreciation goes unnoticed, Bonnie swooping her hand through the lights gracefully, the crystals around her wrist sparkling and spilling their own radiance over her bare chest, her skin glowing a dark gold in the warm light. Lowering her arm she finally spots him gazing at her, his expression so adoring her heart lifts. Feeling shy she looks away, curled hand by her cheek and smiles when he sits beside her, his hand on her waist while the other turns her face to him.

"You're blushing."

"You're a voyeur."

"You can talk," he scoffs and then licks her cheek and she laughs, pushing him away. He grabs her hands, pulling her up and she groans lazily, slumping back down when he lets go.

"I just wanna stay here. I can be the first coven leader to work from bed. Atticus can take notes from a chair."

"Ha. If I find him within five feet of your bed I'll set him on fire, forget his books," he nuzzles at her throat, this time successfully pulling Bonnie up and out of bed. She scowls at him.

"He's a nice man who is also happily married."

"Or widowed," he quips and then winces when her face falls. "Sorry. There's just something about him that rubs me the wrong way."

"Well you're gonna have to deal with it because he's not going anywhere. You have a secretory too right?"

"Yup. Morris. He's about a hundred and fucking senile. So you have nothing to be worried about. Much," he adds, making her laugh before he directs her to the shower. "Go on, so we can get some breakfast. I'm starving. I'll get us a change of clothes to wear while you're in there," he adds and she smiles.

"Thank you," she kisses his cheek and then heads into the shower room, which also dances with rainbow lights.

* * *

They eat under the tropical trees, a few witches around them. Most do not give them a glance but a few do, especially at Kai, who had found a vibrant red t-shirt in a Gemini gift shop and put it on right there. On the front is a slogan printed in white.

_I Can't Keep Calm_

_I'm a Gemini_

"Dork," she says and he shrugs happily. He had found her a green shirt, with a similar slogan that she had refused to wear at first but now she loves it.

_Head Witch In Charge_

Eating scrambled eggs and salmon, sipping on good coffee they talk about their upcoming trip to London, where they will stay and what to expect.

"Rain."

"Beautiful parks."

"Rain. Harry Potter and the creepy Attic Shade."

"Atticus _Shane_ ," she corrects and he grins naughtily into his coffee. She knows her adviser will accompany her to the Archives, helping her find anything that will help in their search. However that will likely go better if Kai is not actively antagonising the poor man. She tells him this, who mumbles a promise to behave but Bonnie watches him narrowly over her bagel, fingering her bracelet. Kai points at it with his knife.

"You better take something because I didn't drink anything beforehand."

"Huh?"

"The contraception beads she gave us are apparently potent. Lucia gave them to five couples a few years ago and now they have like a hundred kids between them. Elias told me."

Bonnie smiles, thinking of the quiet little man she had met during their last week in Greece. He had been lovely. Thinking of them, of that place makes her heart ache but she assures herself that next year they will be back. She looks at the bracelet, suddenly thinking of pushing a stroller down the street and then clears her throat, uncomfortable. They had not been using condoms, there had been no need when they both had been regularly taking a powerful anti-conception potion. But he is right, she will need to do so in the next two hours. She looks up, realising how quiet Kai has been, and sees him gazing at her sombrely but catching her gaze he grins, covering it.

"What is it?"

"Nothing."

"I know your coven is reportedly hard on members producing kids. The more the merrier."

Kai nods slowly. "It's true. The more members the more power there is. My life keeps them all linked and that magic kinda travels along those lines like electricity. The older I get the weaker the power becomes. That's why they push so hard for the leader to have as many kids as possible."

"…So why remind me to take something?"

Kai sits back, shrugging. "My coven can't wait to get me out of the way Bon, as soon as we sat down the question of heirs was brought up almost immediately. I told them I was sterile."

"What?" Bonnie's eyes widen and she inhales her coffee. Kai laughs, moving round to rub her back as she coughs.

"I'm not. I just wanted to see those bastards have a collective stroke. My parents had us tested at sixteen. I can confidently tell you I can knock you up, thus the reminder."

"But if your coven depends on you having twins then what? I said I'm not doing that, it's not my job, which is kinda what it sounds like. A requirement."

"My mom was like a brood mare, producing kid after kid. I think my dad took pity on her and that's why he started sleeping around. I think it was a mutual choice; he probably had long serious meetings with the other members. The Gemini coven had witches who were more than happy to comply."

Bonnie grimaces at his tone but then blinks. "How many kids did she have?"

Kai looks like he will not answer, his jaw clenching but finally he speaks. "Eight. She had three sets of twins. Me and Josette, Olivia and Lucas and then Elliot and Lenora. They died in an accident when I was eleven."

"I'm sorry…" she whispers, trying to look him in the eye but he avoids her gaze. He smiles at his feet.

"They blamed me for what happened, said I wasn't watching them…and I wasn't. I can't even remember what I was doing but I didn't want to babysit for two crying toddlers. I was home for the holidays, I told you that they separate us at a young age and we were sent to different schools but we came together sometimes. My family went out, left me to look after them…" his gaze is unfocused, mind now in the past. "I fell asleep, woke up the next morning and the moment I found them in the pool my parents came home. Like it was timed," he shakes his head, smiling but it's a hollow thing.

"It was an accident," she says, barely managing to keep the question out of her voice. Kai looks up and finally nods. He had been a kid himself at the time. Surely his sociopathy did not start so young?

"I didn't care about them but I didn't want them dead. They had no magic," he adds and Bonnie leans back slowly. Not that they were innocent children. They had no magic, they were not a factor for him, or she assumes his parents.

"Those poor kids," she shakes her head, shaken and can now see why Kai is hesitant about children, even though his future depends on producing heirs. He must feel guilt; he can barely look her in the eye.

He rubs his hands over his face, sitting back and groaning. "God, I haven't thought about them in such a long time. I think I saw them like five times in total before that day? No wonder they kept on hiding, I was a stranger…" he shakes his head again. "My other two siblings were born a year apart and also had no magic. I think Joey is an accountant now and Tisha a kindergarten teacher? I'm not sure, they're not involved with the coven anymore."

Bonnie looks down at the matching bracelet on his wrist, that he picks at. She has imagined having children in the future but the thought of bringing twins into the world who will one day have to battle to the death for leadership? That some official from the Gemini coven would try to take them from her? She can't do it.

"There has to be a way to stop merging, break the link," she says and he nods.

"That's what I plan to do next, once I find my ascendant."

"And help me find mine," she reminds him and he inclines his head in agreement. Bonnie nods, getting to her feet and he stands with her. He smiles fondly, tugging on her shirt.

"I'm just here to do your bidding."

"Glad you finally understand. Now let's forget about your crazy coven for a day and go find the dodo. I heard the very last one is here."

"Mmm, _I_ heard they taste like chicken."

"Kai."

"What?"

* * *

The search for the elusive dodo is fruitless so they turn their attention to the numerous Alcoves, a cheap warren of hand crafted garments, jewellery, food stands and numerous other establishments. The shops overlooking the Menagerie are expensive and exclusive, a place that Bonnie can now afford but the warrens are familiar. Hand in hand, so they do not get separated, Bonnie looks at a stall selling rare books while Kai haggles with the owner of tiny apothecary opposite.

"How much? Are you kidding? You know I can make it myself for half that."

"Then make it yourself," the man says with a shrug and Kai grins. He is trying to get some tea for Bonnie.

"God you're really selling yourself here Bernard, I'm agonising what to do," Kai taps his lips and Bonnie rescues the owner, who looks like he is about to call security.

"There's a café I like down there Kai. See if there's any tables free while I get _myself_ my own tea. Cause I'm a grown woman and can sort out my own birth control," she looks at him pointedly and he throws his hands up.

"Fine, but don't come crying when _Bernard_ robs you blind."

"My name is Tony," the man says and Kai tilts his head, pouting and runs his fingers down the chubby man's cheek

"Bernard suits you better. I'm actually offended that you don't remember your own name, I christened it. This was like nineteen years ago but still," Kai shakes his head in reproach as the man just blinks in bewilderment.

"Kai go before I turn your hair white."

"I'm going…bye Bernie," he winks and leaves, whistling and Bonnie sighs. The owner stares after Kai, frowning heavily before he goes wide eyed.

"I remember him! That asshole used to steal from me during the 90's. Damn, he hardly looks any different."

"I'm sorry, for everything," Bonnie says and means it. She can just imagine the trouble he must have caused when bored. Stealing was probably Kai on a well-behaved day.

"Do you want to poison him?" he asks seriously and Bonnie half laughs, half groans.

"No. I really do need the tealeaves. Do you want me to have his offspring?" she deadpans and Tony-Bernie gets to work at once. He gives her the tea in a paper envelope and slips another alongside it with a wink.

"On the house."

"I'm not going to poison my husband."

"Don't worry. It will make him lose his voice for several hours. That's what I remember, he never shut up. Please, it will brighten my day and bring peace to yours."

Bonnie considers and then takes it with a smile. Wondering how Kai would cope without being able to talk for hours amuses her at first but then she considers that he likely spent months not saying anything. For someone like Kai, not having someone to bounce off of, it must have been hell.

Putting the packets in her bag, thinking about throwing the voiceless herbs away once out of sight of the apothecary she searches for Kai at the half empty café but does not see him. Her cell buzzes and she finds a message from Kai, who is in the bathroom and will be out shortly. Bonnie takes a seat outside with a sigh, giving her feet a rest. She looks over the menu, thinking of what sandwich to get when she notices a woman reading a book across from her. She is in her mid-thirties, with masses of curly blonde hair and Bonnie struggles to place her before it clicks.

Olivia, Kai's last remaining sister. Bonnie has not seen Liv since her brother's funeral but even before that they had never talked. She and her twin were potential leaders and had nothing to say to Bonnie, the highschooler. Well now we have, she thinks and gets up.

Liv has not noticed her, engrossed in her book but as Bonnie clears her throat she looks up.

"Hi, I'm Bonnie. I'm uh, well I'm -"

"I know who you are," Liv says, not unkindly but very bluntly. She puts the book down and looks around. "Is he here?"

"He's in the bathroom."

"Right," she says and proceeds to put her book away, leaving her hot coffee untouched. She smiles thinly, nodding her head to Bonnie and walks out of the café, leaving Bonnie undecided until she finds herself following the blonde.

"Wait, please."

"I'm not staying within a hundred feet of Kai."

"Okay then I'll walk with you, if that's okay?"

Olivia looks at her, jaw clenching in a way that reminds her of Kai before she finally nods. "Fine."

They walk quickly though the crowds, which thin the closer they get to the Menagerie. Soon they find themselves before the cage of the phoenix, who is asleep. Liv had walked quickly, never looking back but Bonnie had half been expecting Kai to chase after them. She stares at Liv as she looks up at the huge mystical bird above, a half smile on her face.

"Our dad used to take us here every week, me and Luke."

"Weekly? I thought twins were separated?"

"We were but there wasn't as much emphasis on us to do it. It was Jo and Kai who never really saw each other. That changed for everyone, obviously…" she peters off, watching a feather smoke in the plumage and then fall, burning before it crumbles apart. A large pile of ash rests under the bird. "We would come hoping to see her burst into flames but it never happened."

Bonnie smiles sadly, looking up. "They say any day now."

Liv nods, casting her a glance. "You still look… _well_ ," she fishes for a word and Bonnie knows she wanted to say _alive_.

"He's not here to hurt you, you don't have to scared," Bonnie whispers, coming closer and is surprised when Liv begins laughing.

"Scared? You think I ran because I was frightened of him? No. I avoid Kai because if I see him I'm gonna kill him. If I do that I die and so does the rest of our pointless coven. I won't be able to stop myself."

She shakes as she speaks, eyes burning and Bonnie wants to step back from the hate waving off the woman. "Then why are you still here?"

"…Because it's not fair. He becomes leader after merging with Jo. My brother didn't have to die but he made sure he did. Luke is dead because Kai cannot stand the idea of anyone challenging him. I don't know why it came as such a shock, it's not like its the first time," she utters scornfully, looking up at the phoenix. The temperature around the cage is warm, making them sweat and the leaves wet.

Bonnie licks her lips, heart racing as she hedges closer. "What do you mean?"

Liv stares at her, gaze intense and it looks like she is going to say more with a cruel twist of her lips but then she sighs, shaking her head. "Forget it. You're stuck with Kai forever now, I'm not going to make that any worse."

She begins to walk away but Bonnie grabs her arm, stopping her. "Please, I know there are things he is not telling me, things about the past. I know he did something and that's why he was imprisoned in 1994. He won't tell me why."

"I'm surprised; I thought it would have been the first thing out of his mouth. He was proud of what he did, what he managed to do in one night, like a fucked up Santa. He's a monster."

"And now?"

"He merged and gained a soul, big whoop. If he really cared he would you know, actually show it. He hasn't said anything to me, hasn't said sorry or even admitted that he was the reason Luke killed himself. At least before the merge he would admit the shit he did, gloat about them too but now he's not only a serial killer but a coward. A true Gemini."

Bonnie stares at her, forgetting the firebird, the people around her, even her own lungs, which have forgotten how to work. "Serial killer?"

Liv freezes, mouth parting but she is now so incensed that whatever restraint and conscious that kept her back is now gone. "Yes. When he was twenty two he and Jo were told that they would not be merging and he snapped. Me and Luke were in a safe place and he never came for us, not then. My father was sure he would retaliate and he did, but just not in a way he was expecting. You know that my father had back up kids right?"

Bonnie nods, trying to get her dry mouth to work. "He said there were other sets of twins."

"Yeah, were, as in past tense. They were scattered throughout the country but clever Kai found them. At first my father thought it was a joke when the first phone call came but then more and more throughout the night. Kai called him personally, like he wanted him to come stop him but every time my father got to a house he was gone and the kid was dead."

"Stop," Bonnie whispers, hand gripping the hot bar of the cage. But Liv is now in free fall, the words pouring out of her.

"The last call Kai made was just before he found me and Luke. Dad had sent Jo to come and protect us but he got in the house. He stabbed Jo and chased us through house with a baseball bat. He was covered in blood. We managed to cloak ourselves and hide in the woods until dad and the rest of the coven arrived. They lured him out and then locked him away."

Her whole body shaking, her very mind, Bonnie tries to accept what she has heard but she cannot. "Why –why?" is all she can say.

"Why kill them? To get rid of any potential leaders and any siphoners that might replace him too. Jo was depended on them to take her magic and now he had made it so he was the only one they could go to. Jo's illness was looked down on even more then Kai's affliction, no one knew. He lost his mind that night but he still had a lizard brain ticking away under all that madness. So after that it was just me, Luke and Jo. Mom died two years before. Then me and Luke found out at sixteen we were both sterile. My dad tried for more kids but nada. So you can see the predicament."

"…Kai had to be kept alive."

"Yep and that's why we kept putting off the merge. They tried every fertility spell under the sun but nothing worked. So there you go, the True Crimes of Malachai Parker," she finishes and she is shaking, the realisation of what she has just done draining the cruelty from her face. She reaches for Bonnie but never touches her.

"I think you missed one," a rough voice says and Bonnie turns just in time to see Kai lifting his hand. " _Motus_!"

Liv is blasted off her feet and slams hard against the now burning hot cage. She screams and Bonnie smells her hair burning as he keeps her pressed up against the cage, ten feet off the ground. He snarls at her, pulling her away and then slamming her back against the bars. She cries out in pain and Bonnie snaps out of her paralyses. He is trying to force her into the cage.

"Stop. Kai stop!"

But he hardly hears her. He stares up at Liv, whose hair is starting to smoke. "I heard that nothing can withstand phoenix fire, not even teeth remain. Now my other siblings got your boring garden variety deaths but you Livy-poo, you're gonna go out in style. Or up," he adds with a mad giggle.

"Do it," she grits out, daring him and he laughs again but does not move.

"Kai for god sake you can't do this. What are you doing?!" Bonnie shouts, hitting his chest.

"You heard her, I'm a serial killer," he says and then finally looks at her. His hand shakes, eyes wide and glassy with tears he can't shed. "That's who you married."

Bonnie shakes her head, sick rising up her throat as Liv gives a shrill scream as the phoenix stirs. Bonnie feels a blast of heat against her back as the bird beats it's wings. She stands back, blocking Kai and lifts her finger.

"Put her down or I'm going to stop you," she warns, her own hand surprisingly steady. Kai is shaking all over, breathing heavily and the tears that she has never seen fall begin to.

"She's fucked it up," he hisses and Bonnie shakes her head.

"You did. She's the only sister you've got left. I know you don't want to do this. You can't otherwise she'd be dead already," Bonnie reasons and he looks up at Liv, who has passed out. He suddenly lowers his hand with a guttural gasp and his sister falls to the ground. Bonnie stares at him, hand still raised and if he so much as takes a step forward she will crush him.

"Bonnie…?" he breathes miserably, as if really seeing her and what he has done, and as he says her name a crack sounds above them, making everyone jump. The clear dome ceiling covering the menagerie suddenly cracks from side to side, though no glass falls. There is silence but then all the birds take wing, heading upwards and witches watch in shocked awe as thousands of birds suddenly explode into the Mall and scatter in every direction.

* * *

**Friends**

Bonnie pushes her way through the crowd, tears blurring her vision as witches point up at the birds in wonder. She does not see them, she does not care. She had left Kai, who seemed unable to look away from Liv when healers had finally rushed to her side while others urged them to get away from the cage. Bonnie had not thought about it, she just ran.

She slams into the exit and stumbles out into the back alley of the Mystic Grill. Steps lead up to the diner and Bonnie makes a few before the door behind her bangs open. She whips around, hand up and curse on her tongue to find Caroline looking at her.

"Bonnie!"

All the fight drains away as her body bends over, unable to stop the flood of tears falling. Caroline comes at once, arms circling tightly and gently helps her to sit. In a trembling voice Bonnie explains everything that has happened, everything she has just heard and witnessed until she sits crying, having said everything she can.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what else to say."

"I know. I just feel stupid. I knew there was something but I didn't want to see what it was. Like a kid finding a rock on a beach. You know there's something gross under it and it either makes you wanna look more or run away. I ran away but now I see everything. He's a monster, I knew that but I thought because he had changed, that he felt remorse he was different. He could have killed her."

"…but I didn't." Kai stands before them, breathing and sweating heavily like he has been running. Bonnie and Caroline jump to their feet and he holds up his hands, taking a few steps back. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Good because I can snap your neck quicker than you can blink," Caroline warns.

"Yeah, better not. If I die so do thousands of others, including my wife," he stares at Bonnie, his eyes red rimmed. Caroline looks at her in shock and she nods. Bonnie glares at Kai, trembling at the sight of him.

"I don't wanna see you. I can't even look at you right now," Bonnie says and he shakes his head, eyes blazing with misery.

"I know what you heard was beyond anything you probably imagined but please let me explain."

"Explain? You travelled from house to house in a single night and killed kids! Your own siblings!"

"When my dad told me that we weren't going to merge I just – I just lost it. I did a locating spell, found them. I thought, if that's even the right word, that if he knew that I was serious about taking them out he would let me and Jo merge. I got to the first house, called him and told him but he just put the phone down," Kai laughs here and then rubs his hand over his mouth. "He didn't give a shit, half of them were siphoners anyway."

Bonnie shakes her head, her shock giving way to rage. "So what? You did it to prove a point? Prove that he was a bad father? He was but he didn't kill kids!"

"He didn't try to save them either! He had every chance but he did nothing. I would have stopped, I wanted to but he didn't give a shit and every time it happened I just got more and more angry. I was out of control. Only when I got back to Portland and threatened Liv and Luke did he make a move."

At first his voice shakes with anger and spite but the longer he talks the more miserable and desperately guilty does he become, until he is crying again. Head in his hands he can hardly stare at Bonnie, who can't seem to look away as much as she wants to. This has to be the first time he has admitted to his greatest crime since the merge and clearly unprepared for how it would affect him.

"This wasn't your dad's fault," she whispers and he nods, biting his lip.

"I know. I told you I was imprisoned because I deserved it. I spent almost twenty years in isolation, I was punished but it's only now I'm free I feel like I should do another eighteen more…is that what you want? I'd do it, I'd do anything for you."

Bonnie, crying, bites the inside of her mouth, arms crossed over her chest as she avoids looking at him. She shrugs, trying to keep herself from falling apart as footsteps sound behind her. They look up to find Stefan and Damon Salvatore coming towards them.

"Bonnie! Just the very witch we were looking for. Is someone throwing a back alley party and didn't invite us?" Damon says and Bonnie quickly wipes her hands over her cheeks but he and Stefan spot the tears and then look at Kai, who is rubbing his own face tiredly.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asks quietly as Damn steps in front of Bonnie and Caroline. He eyes Kai, who he has never met. She nods at Stefan, gripping Caroline's hand.

"It's okay, I'm just upset."

"Did this guy make you cry Bon Bon?" Damon asks, looking at Kai's pale face as he lowers his arms limply to his sides. He sizes Damon up, dismisses him and then looks back at Bonnie.

"We need to talk in private."

"She's not going anywhere with you," Caroline fires back but Bonnie says nothing, still hugging herself protectively. She turns to Stefan, clearing her throat.

"You were looking for me?"

Stefan nods but then looking at the shock and devastation in her gaze he shakes his head. "It's okay."

"No it's not," Damon says over his shoulder. "Elena is in danger from Klaus."

"What?" she blinks dazedly, trying to concentrate. "What do you mean?"

"We think he's taken her," Stefan answers. "We don't know why but he had made it clear he needed her for something."

"Yeah, her blood, every drop of it. So if you could do a locating spell Bonnie that would be great. I'll even sort this guy out for you, what do you say?" Damon says. Kai had been staring lazily at him but at this threat he snorts.

"I'm too numb for this shit. Bonnie, come with me," he offers his hand, ignoring Damon but when he steps a little closer Kai smiles, focusing on his face. "Bonnie mentioned you, called you the annoying brother. You were the nice one," he directs at Stefan, who lifts his brows.

Damon grins. "So you know my favourite witch then?"

"You could say that and right now we don't have time for your little drama. Whatever mess you're in, get yourself out of it."

Bonnie moves forward angrily. "You don't get to make that choice. I want to help."

"Them? They treated you like a vending machine but with no fucking payment. Your grandmother had to almost die for you to wake up and you're gonna go back because this vampire with thinning hair is telling you to?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," she says as he reaches for her arm but Damon moves between them. Kai ignores him.

"I'm repeating what you told me. You stopped feeling like a friend to these people and like a servant. You think they see you any different? Once you made it clear that you were only serving nature did they come round for movie night? Ask what you had been doing? Yeah I didn't think so."

Stefan looks guilty behind Bonnie, Caroline looking at her feet in shame but Damon rolls his eyes.

"Listen up baby Paul Rudd. Bonnie likes to help, she's probably the most insanely selfless witch I've ever come across. Her friend is missing. I have a big map, a hairbrush and judgey here. So let's combine them and poof, the location of one Elena Gilbert."

"I don't care. She does that and you'll drag her in deeper. Now get out of my way," Kai says pleasantly and Damon smiles just as sweetly.

"How about _you_ get out of the damn way before I squeeze your head like a grape?"

Kai gasps. "Wow, what a coincidence," he breathes and before Damon can move Kai lifts his hand and makes a claw. Damon stumbles, hands going to his head as he falls to his knees. Through the pain he looks up at Kai and manages to speak.

"You're a witch?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention? Yeah but I'm not just any witch," Kai says and leans down until their faces are inches apart. "I'm her husband."

"… _What_?!"

"Yeah, so if you'll excuse us we gotta jet," Kai says and before Bonnie can move or fight he grabs her arm and when she feels the familiar vibration ringing through her body her friends and the Mystic Grill disappear in a blur of colour and sound.


	4. The Archives

**The Wall**

Appearing suddenly in an empty field overlooking a dense forest they fall to their knees, crying out in pain. Every bone aches, her skin burns and her head spins nonstop. She keeps her eyes shut, fisting the grass in her hands and tries not to be sick. Kai groans beside her and she opens her eyes to find him on his knees, forehead pressed to the earth as his hands grip his head.

"I'm gonna puke."

"…Good," she manages, even as her stomach flips over queasily. She inhales and sits back on her hunches, hands still gripping the grass. "Where are we?"

"I don't know," he sits up and Bonnie sees a trickle of blood running from his nose. His face is pale and sweaty.

"You _kidnapped_ me and dropped us in the middle of nowhere?" she lifts her hands with a snarl and he stares at her dejectedly, not defending himself. " _Motus_!" she yells but nothing happens. She tries again and then digs her hands back into the earth by her knees. Nothing.

Where is her magic? She suspects briefly that he has taken it but she would have felt it. He sees the alarm on her face and reaches for her but Bonnie psychically pushes him away and struggles to her feet. Her back to him she cups her hands, closing her eyes and trying to calm herself she invokes fire, willing it to appear but her hands remain empty. Shock and anger blocks her access.

"I can help," he stands, taking her arm but she pulls away, rounding on him.

"No, not again! This is your fault!"

"Mine? I wasn't the one who laid that shit on you with no warning," he fires back, using his red novelty t-shirt to wipe the blood from his nose, which still bleeds. "Just take my hand," he offers it, his fingers bloodstained and Bonnie scowls. The overcast sky above darkens, blocking out the sun.

"Take me back."

"To your _friends_?"

"Just do it!" she screams and he winces, back of his hand against his nose.

"…I don't think I can. Too much magic was used getting us here, wherever that is…" he looks around in confusion. "I just wanted to be alone with you, to talk."

"I don't," she says and begins walking up the hill, away from the trees and Kai follows. Her eyes are dry but she feels like each nerve end is on fire, hypersensitive and aware of his every move. She is not frightened, she is too angry for that but when he takes her arm she jumps. "Don't touch me. I'm not speaking to you, about anything."

"Fine, okay," he sighs, following behind at a distance. Rain begins to fall lightly and she shivers. She is in jeans and a t-shirt and wherever they are it feels ten degrees colder compared to Virginia. Further north? She looks for anything other than trees and grass until they come to a low brick wall, which looks ancient. Kai rests against it, closing his eyes to channel.

"Ahh…" His eyebrows rise and Bonnie frowns.

"What?"

"I don't think we have to worry about catching that flight to England."

Bonnie stares at him open mouthed, looking at the moss covered rocks and then down at the old oak wood below. "You teleported us across the Atlantic? Are you insane?! We could have appeared in the middle of the ocean."

"I was focusing on your house _actually_ but I bet you were thinking about poor little Elena and where she was. _You_ transported us three thousand miles over an ocean and channelled me to do it."

He pinches the bridge of his nose as more blood flows and Bonnie feels a momentary guilt, along with a wallop of shock. Had she really channelled him before her magic got blocked? Or has he done something to her? Bonnie stares at him suspiciously.

"If Elena is here then I'm going to find her without you."

"Who's apparently been kidnapped by an old, psychotic vampire? You'll face him with no magic? Sure, that will go well," he narrows his incredulous eyes at her and she offers a sarcastic smile in return.

"It seems you and Klaus have so much in common, between the kidnapping, murder and madness. Cute, he could be your first friend," she says with scathing sweetness and he rolls his eyes. Her heart ablaze and bleeding she wants to savage him in turn.

"Let's just find out where we are," he grumbles, walking beside the wall and Bonnie nods and silently goes in the opposite direction. He turns when he realises and throws up his hands. "For fuck's sake Bonnie!" he comes to her, grabbing her arm and in the struggle the light rain that has been gently falling suddenly drenches them. As Kai gets her between him and the wall the first lightning bolt falls and they jump and turn.

A hundred bolts flash through the air, striking the same trees in the same place over and over until the forest is smoking and cracking with the force of the hits. The witches watch as hair rises over their bodies, the air thick with crackling ozone and Bonnie knows if they so much as say another word the next bolt of lightning won't be aimed at a tree. Not realising that her hand is in his until he begins pulling her away from the storm she follows, heart hammering.

* * *

Smoke rises into the air, lightening still flickering but not as furiously as they quickly look for a road, thunder rumbling overhead. Reaching the top of the hill they find a wooden gate and climb over it, walking through another field until they come to a well warn path through a grove of elder trees. They take it, Kai quietly affirming that the earth has known recent movement.

Rain patters against the leaves above gently, easing off and they come to a treeline and see an old country house at the end of the path. Tired, her mind constantly replays what happened with Liv and the damning words she spoke and Bonnie can do nothing to stop it. Kai walks ahead, head weighed down, likely with the same thoughts. Her husband is a child killer, if she assumes the ages of the murdered siblings correctly. The thought make her throat tight and a fresh wave of tears fall. She lets them, not caring if he sees.

_I know killers, I know monsters who have slaughtered hundreds but that knowledge never affected me like this. Their hands have never touched me like his, ears never heard promises of commitment from their lips. Never gave them my body…but I thought my heart was safe._

Bonnie swallows, focusing on the thump of the organ in her chest and knows that it was close. Not an offering, not presented like a gift, but something drawn out by him every day, little by little and against any rational denial. He is a siphoner, it should not surprise her he would love like that, what does surprise her is that she let it.

"The gate is open," Kai says and Bonnie surfaces from her inner hurt and notes that a door at the end of a walled garden is unlocked. Kai shrugs and enters, Bonnie following limply and they enter a wild, overgrown jungle of foxgloves, roses, vervain, sweet peas and a waterfall of hanging purple wisteria growing down every garden wall. Through the pain Bonnie inhales the sweet scents, smiling weakly as the sun breaks through the clouds. The garden is empty and it appears no one has tended to it for many years. They walk through it, passing a dry stone fountain in the centre when someone suddenly appears under an archway across from them.

"…Bonnie?"

"Elena?" she gasps, hardly believing her eyes but her friend runs forward and throws her arms around her. Bewildered she looks at Kai, who smiles weakly.

"I guess hijacking me paid off. Congratulations," he adds before tipping his head back as another nose bleed starts.

"Shut up," she says but inwardly she is deeply shocked. She wanted to get away from Kai but she was worried about Elena and she found her without a locating spell, without even focusing. It was all feeling. She pulls back, staring at Elena with worry. "Are you okay? We should go before Klaus realises we're here."

"Klaus?" Elena frowns.

"The Salvatores said he kidnapped you," Bonnie explains, pulling on Elena's hand as she hurries back through the garden. Elena pulls her to a stop, shaking her head.

"No he didn't. You've got it wrong," Elena says but before she can continue Bonnie notices a man standing by the fountain who had not been there seconds ago. Kai jerks back in surprise.

"…Elijah?"

The Original vampire smiles, inclining his head in greeting. "Hello Bonnie, it's nice to see you again. Though I am curious how you got here so quickly. We only arrived this morning."

"I uh, I took a short cut," Bonnie answers as Kai sits weakly on the lip of the fountain, apparently ignoring what is being said. He looks ready for keeling over. She focuses on Elena, who moves to Elijah's side. "So you're not in danger?"

"I was. Klaus was after me so I contacted Elijah. He's offering his protection in exchange for my help. Klaus wants to use my blood in a ritual that will break his sireline without killing him or those connected. He doesn't care if I survive or not."

"…and what do you give Elijah in return?"

"Also her blood," the Original answers calmly. "Klaus would kill her but I won't let that happen. If there's a way to safely sever the ties that keep those sharing my blood bonded to me then Klaus will see there's no need for anyone to die."

As he says this movement draws her eye and she spots Jonas Martin walking into the garden. Bonnie blinks in surprise, remembering the gossip that Kai had told her in Greece.

"Is Greta here?" she asks and Jonas shakes his head, face stern.

"Klaus has her. I am helping Elijah with the unlinking spell, in return for him helping me to rescue Greta. My family has worked with Elijah for centuries, exchanging knowledge and magic," he adds, nodding at the Original vampire who smiles sadly. Witches helping vampires is frowned upon but she supposes the Originals are the exception. They would not be possible without magic.

Elijah tilts his head. "I will help but whether your daughter chooses to return with her family or remain with Klaus is out of my hands, and possibly yours."

Jonas shakes his head. "He kidnapped her from the Archives. My daughter is not so easily swayed."

Bonnie looks at Kai, who is smirking. "Told ya."

She ignores him and looks at Elena. "You're okay with this? Unlinking an entire line sounds like it requires a lot of blood. If it works the other Originals will come for you too."

"I know the risks but I'm willing to take them," Elena adds, nodding at Elijah who smiles at her softly.

"My family will respect the terms I have laid down, Klaus notwithstanding."

Bonnie looks between them, confused and unsure. "You really came here voluntarily?"

Elena nods. "I'm tired of running Bonnie, I've been doing it since I was a teenager. If there's a way to have a half way normal life and stop putting everyone else around me in danger then I'll do anything. That's why I didn't tell Stefan or Damon. I knew they'd try to help by wrapping you up in this and I didn't want that. That's why I never mentioned this during the hen night. After grams nearly died I respected your choice. This is my messed up life but it's mine and I'll fight to save it but not at the cost of others," Elena finishes passionately. She was a girl who has been traumatised repeatedly, her life and body tossed from one traumatic event into another and while Bonnie's gut reaction is to help she also respects her choice in turn. Elena is strong, she's smart and she can defend herself with the options she has but her agency has always been governed – _belittled_ \- by the fear or love of others who only see fragility.

Kai sighs in relief. "Finally, someone who agrees with me. See Bon? She's fine and making her own grown up life decisions. Now let's go sort out ours," Kai says, standing but he starts to sway, eyes going wide and he sits back down. "Woah…"

Bonnie makes an involuntary movement towards him but catches herself. Elijah goes to Kai, who smiles up at the Original.

"Hi, I'm Kai."

"And a Gemini it seems," Elijah notes in quiet amusement, motioning at Kai's red and bloody t-shirt.

"Literally. I'm Bonnie's…whatever," he says after staring at her stony face. " _E_ lijah," Kai says, stressing the E in his name the same way he does with Elena. "From what Bonnie told me you're everyone's favourite…do you have water? Do you drink water? I'm kinda unfamiliar with vampires. We just crossed three thousand miles over an ocean in the blink of an eye and my head feels like _someone_ set fire to it…" Kai rambles, unfocused eyes trying to find Bonnie before the vampire leans down to steady him as he suddenly faints. This time Bonnie does rush forward in alarm.

"What's wrong with him?" Elena asks as they help Elijah to lay Kai flat on the wet grass. Bonnie shakes her head.

"I think it took too much out of him. _I_ did. We're not meant to teleport over running water anyway, oceans are absolutely forbidden. It was an accident. He's like you," she says to Elijah suddenly. "The Gemini leader is linked to every member, if he dies…" she looks at Elena in worry as Elijah nods, unbuttoning his sleeve and biting into his wrist.

"I'm aware of our similarities," he presses his arm to Kai's mouth and they wait for him to wake.

* * *

Which he does, but many hours later. The colour back in his skin and his temperature stabilised Kai sleeps in one of Elijah's guest rooms, Bonnie sitting by the window. He is healed but she supposes somethings not even vampire blood can interfere with. Every creature on earth needs sleep. As the sunsets and Elena goes down to the kitchen to get them something to eat Kai wakes, looking around the room in confusion until his eyes land on her. He relaxes. She sits in silhouette, the light filled window behind her. It is raining again.

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Five hours. You only woke up because someone mentioned food," she accuses and he smiles a little, sitting up. He licks his lips, smacking them.

"Hmm, never tasted vampire blood before. Kinda earthy. An Original healed me?" he looks impressed.

"Yeah, so don't go dying or you're gonna wake up with a craving stronger and stranger than you have for, well…" she trails off. Kai has a wide and varied appreciation for food.

"You?" he asks and smiles at her thinning lips. "Trust me, that craving would still be number one."

"Well no it wouldn't cause I'd be dead," she reminds him and his smile drops. Bonnie goes to him, trying to keep her voice level. She had spoken to Elena for hours about her predicament and she feels better for it, her thoughts clearer. "Tomorrow I'm catching a train to London. I'm meeting Shane and looking through the Archives without you. Do you understand?"

"You can't stop me going."

"I'm not, I just don't want you to do it while I'm there. I need time Kai, okay? This isn't going be fine after a night's sleep…but I know things will get bad if we remain apart," she motions at the sky as hail stones belt the windows. "I'll contact you when I'm ready."

"Before the ball?"

"…I guess." That Kai might disappear on the 21st is a worry that never leaves her. She might never see him again and from the desperation on his face he's thinking the same.

"Where are you staying?"

"My coven's embassy," she almost doesn't tell him but lying is not what she wants or should have to resort to. She wants him to respect her wishes.

"I'm part of your coven now. I can visit you there."

"I know but I'm asking you not to," she says tiredly and he clenches his jaw, getting out of bed. Bonnie moves back a step but he does not come any closer. "Please Kai?"

"How do I make this right? Tell me what you want me to do?" he asks intensely and Bonnie cocks her head.

"I just did," she says gently and he finally nods, inhaling deeply. He moves to the window, looking over the flooded English countryside. Bonnie licks her lips, not wanting to leave any rocks unturned anymore or hide from the darkness beneath. Better to have it all visible now then leave it to fester.

"How many did you kill?"

Kai stares out of the window, back to her and after a pause he tells her. "…Six. It was night, most of them were asleep. I siphoned them," his voice is low, almost inaudible but she hears every word. "When I took magic before I always stopped but I kept on going. I thought if I could just sap their magic dry for good, I'd make their claim for leadership invalid. They died instead. That was the first time I knew that siphoning magic away completely also kills witches. The first twins died accidentally…but not the others."

"That's how you killed them? Siphoned their magic?"

He nods. "The last two I can barely remember. They fought me but I couldn't take in anymore magic, I was drowning in it, so I snapped their necks instead," his lips curl, eyes unfocused as he silently snaps his fingers and Bonnie stiffens. "A few were siphoners. You know what happens when two siphoners try to take magic from each other? Imagine two vacuums pressed together, but one with way more pressure. They magically imploded, died from the shock. We even looked kinda similar…" he is not in the room with her anymore but speaking to her from decades before. "After that everything is a blur, I don't remember going to Portland, I don't remember stabbing Jo or looking for Liv and Luke. The last thing I remember was being in the woods, my family around me and my dad with the ascendant in his hand. Pain, the eclipse and white light…then there was nothing."

She had imagined worse, a bloody horror show but the result is still the same: death. Kai, gauged on magic to the point he could not take in anymore, had lost control. A witch drunk on magic and on a rampage is more frightening than any vampire during a bloodlust.

"What do you feel?" she asks and he turns to her finally. She knows, she can hear the sorrow in his voice and the emptiness of his eyes. He's like looking at a haunted house.

Kai gives a vacant smile. "The guilt is pretty much eating me alive. It didn't before, wasn't even able to but now…each death is like a weight behind me and it's only now I feel how heavy it is. I took their future away and my family took mine as punishment. I didn't want to add that weight to you."

She wants to say it's too late, that each of his victim's deaths is like a shadow following her. Not heavy, they are not her crimes, but just the association stains her. They are strangers, she knows no name or face but he did and he took each and every one. He paid for it, he is sorry but it does nothing to rub away the fact. It is too fresh, too painful and she needs time with it.

"This is raw. I've seen death, my hands aren't clean and I've saved the lives of monsters who probably wouldn't save mine. But I got to know them, like I have with you but I didn't just trust them overnight. I pitied them, I helped where I could but I never forgot the harm they had caused and still could. It took me time to accept that. Call me judgemental, I am but I'm not a hypocrite. Pain is like a curse, if you ignore it, pretend it doesn't matter it will come back threefold. You know that. I need time…and I think you do too."

Kai says nothing, does not move from the window but Bonnie hopes he silently agrees. If he did not he would be dragging her back into the room. When she gets to the door he speaks, his voice quiet but clear.

"I love you."

Bonnie stops, back to him and closes her eyes. She knew, she has always known but now more than ever she wishes he had said nothing because words have power and for a witch there's no taking them back. Heart torn in two like he had uttered a curse she walks out and leaves him and his words alone.

* * *

Bonnie spends that night with Elena, sleeping in the same bed as a quiet storm washes over the old house. It creaks and groans, filling in the quiet when they fall silent.

"His crimes weren't for me to forgive," Elena says quietly, hand around Bonnie's as she speaks. "Stefan wrote them all down, every name, so he wouldn't forget. Guilt eats him up inside, even now but what is _my_ forgiveness? I could give it but it doesn't change what he did, those names are still on the wall. I guess the only ones who can offer it are the ones who directly suffered, who have those gaps in their lives because of what he did."

"…And the gaps he creates in you? Can you forgive that?"

"Yes. I've done it," Elena says firmly. "Maybe I do it too readily but I have to, I chose to. You want to live your life, to go forward but how can you do that when there's a wall holding you back? You either work your way through it, inch by inch, or take a different path. Stefan does it step by step and it's hard but he does it. You have to find ways to make amends, even if the people you hurt are gone," she finishes and Bonnie smiles.

"I hope you're still writing."

"I have to, I'd go crazy if I didn't get it out my head," she laughs and then sighs. "With the life we've had we could write some pretty awesome stories."

"What genre?"

"Gothic romance, duh," she says as lightening flickers timely outside. Elena makes an oohing noise and they laugh.

"Even me? I don't have vampires trying to sweep me off my feet."

"No, just a weird, powerful witch who seems _completely_ into you."

Bonnie tilts her head, her heart flaring with a strange pain even as she smiles. "You think so?"

"I just met him but I'm 100% positive. You can just tell, the way he looks at you. Don't take this the wrong way but I've _never_ seen anyone look at you like that, not even Jeremy. You have that witch whipped," Elena smiles but Bonnie gazes at her anxiously.

"He just told me he loves me."

"See? What did you do?"

"Nothing. I don't know what I feel, it's so messed up. I just need time."

"Then take it."

They grow silent again, the candles around the room growing low. Bonnie lifts her hand, trying to blow them out and sighs when she remembers. "No magic."

"It'll come back, it always does," Elena assures her and after kissing her cheek goodnight she rolls over and falls asleep.

Bonnie stares up at the red velvet canopy covering them, absent minded twisting the beads around her wrist as Elena breathes deeply. Bonnie lets her hand fall and then immediately sits up, her eyes wide as she stares at the crystals twining her wrist.

"…Oh no," she breathes and careful not to wake Elena she tiptoes to her handbag which is hanging off the back of a chair. She searches through it, heart beating fast as she pulls out the paper envelop. The birth control tea leaves inside are rust red and smell of ginger and she should have taken them hours ago. Fishing out a plastic bottle of water from her bag she upends the leaves into it, screws the cap tight and then shakes it, watching the tea spread through the water like dark blood. Moving to the window she looks up at the dark cloudy sky, bringing the bottle to her lips and then freezes.

 _Which envelop?_ Panic spikes through her as she grabs her bag and another square of paper falls out, smaller than the first. The voiceless herbs. She reads the note scribbled on it in pencil.

_For peace and retribution. Tony._

Laughter bursts from her lips and she clamps a hand over her mouth as Elena stirs but then falls back to sleep. Bonnie leans against the wall by the window, smiling down at the bottle and with a shake of her head she drinks the tea, which she knows with a distant assurance will have no effect, if any has to be made.

_It would be some fucked up poetry if I become pregnant on the day I found out my husband is a child killer…_

After drinking the cold, weak tea and blowing out the candles Bonnie curls up on the window seat and cries herself to sleep.

* * *

**The Embassy**

The next morning Elijah and Elena drive her to the closest railway station, which is a tiny platform next to an equally tiny village. The train will take her to King's Cross station, where a driver from her coven will pick her up. Shane is not yet in England, his flight arriving later that night.

Kai left during the night according to Elijah. She had not heard him leave but when she awoke she knew without being told he was gone. His presence is now in the back of her mind, as she must be in his, haunting each other. Only the distance and his absence makes it noticeable and as she closes her eyes she can almost see the leafy popular trees lining the Thames through his eyes.

_…_ _Please stay out of my head. It's not in a pretty state right now…_

Bonnie gasps, bolting upright in the train compartment. His gentle but drained voice still echoes through her mind, a connection that is not severed by distance. Surprised and a little guilty Bonnie focuses on the view, watching picturesque green fields flick past, blurred by the wet window, which soon turns more urbanised until tall glass buildings and old warehouses hug either side of the track and she is in London.

* * *

Witch embassies in London line up in a long haphazard row, on a street opposite Kensington Garden. It is cloaked and heavily warded, with witches from the Armoury patrolling the area. The mansions vary from coven to coven, from gleaming modernist structures to ruins of old, disbanded covens but none stand as large or opposing as the Gemini mansion. Before the Parker's settled at the turn of the century in the Pacific North West their strong hold was England, and had been for over a thousand years. This has not changed with the move of the coven leader. The extended Parker family hold London and the rest of England with a sure, firm grip. Bonnie doubts Kai can claim the same about his sway over his own council, let alone his jurisdiction.

Her building, which has been in the city for hundreds of years, is modest in comparison, especially as the two are side by side. Gothic architecture of the Gemini stands darkly next to the airy, ivy covered Bennett building.

 _Looks like a big greenhouse next to a sprawling Victorian asylum, something institutional about it_ , Bonnie thinks as she walks through the huge garden, a group of children watching her with open mouths from under a tree. At first she is perplexed, looking behind her but then she remembers.

_I'm the High Priestess. Duh._

She smiles and lifts her hand. "Hi. Whatcha doing?"

"We – we're scrying, on the Gemini," a teenage girl says, much to the outrage and shushes of her friends. Bonnie smiles and sits down under the tree with them. They must be children of Bennett leaders in England, or those that work here. The sky is overcast, the day chilly and she is dressed in black tights, a navy corduroy skirt and a chunky pink cardigan that she had borrowed from Elena. Not exactly queenly attire but it's all she has to wear until she gets herself some outfits. She will never wear that HWIC t-shirt again, tainted by the event in the Menagerie. At their knees is a bowl, the kind you use to eat cereal out of. Bonnie peers at the water within.

"Anything interesting?"

"Their wards are too strong, we can't see anything but you can hear a little bit," an older boy says and bends his ear to the water. "They keep mentioning the Gemini leader and his unexpected arrival. They're going _completely_ mental, I think they're scared of him," he adds and they laugh but then the English boy gasps, remembering who he is talking to. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Sometimes I forget who I'm married to as well," she bends down, whispering. "He'd be proud that you're spying, in fact he'd probably give you a guided tour," she adds and they gasp excitedly, which makes her smile but it falls. He would love to do it, she has seen this side to him but then she recalls his reluctance and discomfort around children during their second week in Greece. His energetic and playful personality is one almost designed for interacting with children but the blood on his hands makes him withdraw, emotionally and physically. Now she understands why.

"Have you been sightseeing?" a tiny French child asks, drawing Bonnie from her thoughts and she shakes her head.

"Not yet. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Paris," she says without hesitation and the other English kids laugh and shout out suggestions.

"Well the obvious choice is the park, it's just across the street," the spying English boy says, who is called Peter. Bonnie nods and thanks them for their suggestions.

"Once I'm done in the Archives I'll go to all those places but not before we go climb some trees!" she stands up and they cheer, jumping to their feet and she laughs, feeling lighter. Hours later she leaves the garden muddier, out of breath and far happier then when she entered it. Smiling she finds a man looking down at the garden from a window by her door.

"Atticus?"

"High Priestess," he says, turning to her with a smile. Bonnie holds up a finger.

"When it's just us you're gonna call me Bonnie, okay?"

"Okay. I was watching you," he says turning back to the window and Bonnie goes to his side. "The kids go stir crazy here, I think you've definitely won them over. Now they'll have nothing but great things to say their parents. Smart."

Bonnie laughs. "You think I was playing with them for political favour? Dude I just wanted to splash in some puddles for a while," she laughs and he grins.

"I understand. I kinda miss puddle jumping," he says sadly and Bonnie cocks her head at his tone. "I had a son, with my first wife. They both died in an accident six years ago."

"I'm sorry," she whispers, taking his hand. He smiles, looking down.

"It was tough but then I met Caitlin and I knew that things could be okay again. I still believe that," he gazes at her intensely and she swallows. He really believes that his second wife is still alive and now Bonnie realises he must be clinging onto that hope even tighter than she is.

"We'll find a way. Tomorrow we'll head straight to the Archives."

"The kids will have to stay, sorry," he says and she laughs, pouting. Shane narrows his eyes. "Broody?"

Bonnie's mouth falls open. "No! I just like kids."

"I'm kidding. I know the Gemini are very keen for Kai to start a family. One of the reasons he's not staying at the embassy next door," he adds and something inside her sinks. She had been expecting to feel Kai when she arrived but he seems to be miles away.

"How'd you know this?"

"I've got my contacts. He's staying somewhere in Camden," he explains as Bonnie enters her suite, which is beautifully decorated and like the entire building covered with an array of plants and flowers. Inhaling a lavender scent deeply Bonnie spots a card on the coffee table before the couch and picks it up.

"The Summer Solstice Ball. I almost forgot," Bonnie sighs, thinking how a few days ago she had been excited to attend with Kai by her side. Now she's not even sure if she should go. Shane must see the apprehension on her face as he comes closer.

"As a new leader it would be beneficial to meet others. Balls are not just frivolous displays and hook-ups. It's where the real politics take place, where information is exchanged."

"Someone might know something," she nods, thinking of all the powerful people who will be there on the 21st. Thinking of the ball, which is just a few days away, makes her think of Kai. His birthday is on the same day.

 _And it might be the last time I ever see him_ , she thinks with discomfort. If whoever has his ascendant does not deactivate it they could trap Kai in his prison world for good. As coven leader he would be unreachable, in no danger and effectively immortal. His members do not trust him so if they had the ascendant Kai would not be walking around London right now. But if not them then who?

_Stop worrying about Kai. I have to focus on finding my family…_

Bonnie thanks Shane, who leaves with a smile. She settles down on her bed, the wooden posts covered with ivy and twinkling lights. It's a room belonging to a fairy queen, Titania's bower. Speckled with mud and feeling anything but ethereal Bonnie tugs off her boots and crawls under the covers. She watches the lights dim magically, casting the room in a warm dark until she falls asleep and into a hectic, sensual dream.

_The ballroom is dark and huge, the walls and ceiling covered with mirrors so that the dancers flicker from one frame to another. Magic pulses around her wildly, a heady sensation that bounces from witch to witch until they are laughing and spinning. It is uncontrolled, bodies pressed up against each other, an erotic undercurrent underlying the magic flowing through the room, accompanied by a hypnotic beat of drums._

_Mind and body swept up in the magic beat she clings to him, desperate not to let go but his furious face, at odds with the lusty grins around them, shakes in refusal. Dancers kiss and embrace, crowding them, more and more until suddenly it is not her husband in her arms anymore but someone else. Bonnie pushes the man away, calling out Kai's name but he is gone. Desperate she searches, shoving people aside but the ballroom seems neverending, the people around her infinite and her screams are drowned out by the laughter and groans of the hedonistic witches surrounding her._

_"_ _It's for the best. Think of your future," a voice says behind her and she spins around to find herself completely alone, standing at the edge of a hole in the floor, the music replaced by the wail of a child._

Bonnie bolts awake, clutching at the blankets. Fear and shock flood through her body, her heart hammering. Panting she tries to calm herself before she feels Kai's presence in her mind, his concern sharp. He must have sensed her unrest.

 _Go away!_ she yells through the link that formed with the magic binding their marriage vows. She feels him withdraw, saying nothing but his uncertainty remains. It feeds her own, adding to her confusion. That was no simple dream, she knows a vision when she has one but it could be both. Rubbing her stomach without thinking about it she lies back down, staring at the lights that now wink through the leaves around her. They know she will not get much sleep tonight so she gets up and showers, trying to wash the dream and unease away but it lingers, like the faint disquiet from Kai.

* * *

**The Bennett Wing**

The next morning she travels to the Archives with Shane. The weather is still terrible, the sun hidden behind a thick sheet of grey cloud as cold winds rush through the streets but as they drive Bonnie sweats, her skin clammy.

"You okay?" Shane asks as she presses her forehead to the window, hardly watching London flick past.

"Breakfast didn't agree with me," she says, which is the truth but she knows another reason her stomach is rolling over and over. If the dream is true and Kai does disappear she will have no magic to stop it. She curls her hands into fists, trying to draw on the power deep inside her but she only makes herself feel lightheaded.

Closing her eyes she has a flash of a huge dark room, glass cabinets dotted around it. Is Kai in a museum? He is not near the Archives, she would sense it but he is close. She sees a collection of swords on a wall and then she opens her eyes.

"Is there another Gemini Archive in the city?"

Shane shakes his head. "The Armoury is located there, near to the Tower of London."

If the Archive is a place to collate and preserve coven history that has been unearthed over the years, then the Armoury is where the weapons and things too dangerous to be seen are stored. It is the warrior to the library's scholar. If anyone foolish enough dared to cross a witch knew that they had enough power to wipe out the universe with a single word they would seriously rethink. But hardly anyone knows about the Armoury, for everyone's safety.

 _Of course Kai would be there_. It is not only a museum but a place where the best defensive magic is taught, producing elite and deadly witches, those who have no coven and so no allegiance or vendettas. All the top covens in the world have armoury witches on their staff.

 _Wonder when I'll get mine and who it will be...have to be officially ordained first I guess,_ Bonnie ponders as they drive up Ludgate Hill and St Paul's Cathedral comes into sight. It is a Sunday, the city quiet and almost empty at this time in the morning. They park around the back and Bonnie looks south, spotting the Thames down a narrow street leading to a bridge. A few tourists walk around, taking pictures of the famous sights but missing the massive stone spire that thrusts up from the cathedral, cloaked by powerful spells cast by Gemini witches centuries ago. At the base of the white spire is a dome, which gives the Archives the appearance of a head with a pointy, brimmed hat on top. It had always amused her when she saw pictures but in person it is breath-taking. At the top of the spire a spinning brass gyroscope, ringed with each of the four elements but joined together by the fifth: spirit.

"Shall we? We'll head to my office before tackling the Bennett wing," Shane says, entering the rose garden at the base of both the cathedral and the Archives. Bonnie nods, looking down and follows her adviser through the garden until they reach a stretch of nondescript wall to the eye of a normal human but to a witch a grand archway leads into the library. Inhaling, forgetting the earlier sickness Bonnie enters with an excited grin.

Like the Mall the Archives is a lot bigger on the inside, the central foyer of marble is double the size of the cathedral. Witches walk around, staff members and visitors, and as she passes they stop and stare. The reception makes her chest tight, especially when a few incline their heads respectfully. Smiling shyly Bonnie hurries after Shane, who seems too distracted to notice. Around the hall oval windows project beams of soft light down on each archway that leads to different wings. They head towards the archway with an amaranth symbol above, the sigil of her coven. Before they disappear into the shadows beyond Bonnie spots the Gemini coven door directly across the hall, next to an archway that is closed. She frowns, staring at the runes above the old wood door.

"Some archways are closed?"

"Disbanded or extinct covens. That used to be the Mikaelson wing," Shane explains and Bonnie stares at the door in shock.

"The Originals were witches?"

"Some of them but obviously their progeny took a different path. A few distant human relatives remained but now there's none left. Come on, I have something I want to show you," Shane urges and Bonnie follows him into the Bennett wing. Witches stop as before, staring at her and she smiles, walking faster until she is overtaking Shane. When they get to the end of the corridor they come to another round hall, with three doorways.

"The one on the left leads to staff offices, the middle the actual archive and the right to living quarters," Shane says and they walk through the arch on the left, entering another long corridor lined with doors. Liberians and scholars exit and enter, barely noticing them though a few greet Shane before Bonnie is shown into his office.

Shane's study reminds Bonnie of her grandmother's at the college, both lined with books, maps, pictures and artefacts behind glass cases. She fills a pang of jealousy and sadness because this was to be her life, days steeped in history and surrounded by books and grimoires.

"I want your office."

"Well as you're my boss I guess I can't deny the order but I'm taking the coffee machine," he smiles, tapping it before he sits behind his desk, Bonnie sitting in a chair he pulls up beside his. She sighs, hands resting on her stomach before she freezes. In the room there is something with immense power, something even in her blocked state she can sense. Her eyes fall on an object on Shane's desk. A necklace.

"What is that?" she asks sitting up.

"Ah, you felt it? I'm not surprised. It attracts witches like bees to honey. Sometimes I find my colleagues standing in my office, not sure why they're here but it's that," he picks up the necklace, which is thronged with a strip of dark leather. A white oblong of ivory is attached to it, about an inch across and scored so it is divided into four quarters.

"It's a talisman," she says, wanting to touch it but draws her hand back as it swings from his hand.

"Yes, and I think because of it's power, a very powerful binding agent. I'm not sure for what, I've got suspicions and one thing I do know is that it belonged to the witch Qetsiyah."

Bonnie gasps and this time touches it. Magic crashes up against her, like waves on rocks and she snatches her hand back before she is swept away. "My god, there's so much power."

He nods. "I can't sense it of course but that's what I've been told. Only a Bennett can actually harness it's magic and given it's age and where it was found the owner being Qetsiyah is all but certain."

"Wow…" she smiles, brushing it gently, getting used to it and Shane gazes at her.

"Take it."

"What?"

"I know you're blocked at the moment but you should be able to use it, draw on its power until you're clear again. I – uh- I'll need it back," he adds and she laughs.

"Worth more than your job?"

"And my life, yeah. Please, it'll be my loaned, temporary wedding gift to you. Which is what it actually was, if the legends are true," he says as Bonnie places the necklace around her neck where the talisman beats like a miniature sun against her chest. It's strangely comforting.

"What legends?"

"Well some believe that the necklace wasn't actually made by Qetsiyah but by Silas. It was a gift to her from him, made from the bone of an enemy that they defeated together," he explains and laughs when she draws her hand away from it with a grimace. "They say she was gravely wronged by this other witch and the Gemini came to her aid. Back then all covens fought and this was the first time they had each other's backs. She fell madly in love with Silas after he gave her the necklace."

"Madly being the right word. He made it from the bone of her enemy? Kinda sweet in a creepy, hardcore way," she says, thinking that if it was still acceptable Kai would probably do the same, though she does not have any enemies, unless high school bullies count.

"I think so. So they get married, unite their covens in power and strength. Years pass, their knowledge and skill increasing until nothing stood in their way…but then she found out he was unfaithful, had fathered other children. At the time this was not uncommon but she was ahead of her time. She expected complete commitment."

"Uh-oh. I love this, it's like an episode of Riki Lake. What happened?"

"She found his lover, killed her and made her own bone necklace."

"And sent it to him?" she guesses and Shane nods. Bonnie shudders. "Damn, she didn't mess around."

"She also killed most of his bastard children in revenge, though some obviously lived."

"Obviously?"

"He was the progenitor of the Gemini family of today, who can claim a direct linage to him and his children. That was the line that Qetsiyah cursed, if the legend is true."

Bonnie tilts his head at his unconvinced tone. "You don't think so?"

"I don't. I think she cursed the marriage rituals, made it so that the covens had to unite and remain that way but the Gemini…" he shakes his head. "What do you know of the merge?"

"Only what Kai has told me. At the age of twenty two twins have to perform a ritual and whoever survives is the leader, the title passing to them from their parent."

Shane nods. "Over the years I have studied everything I could about Silas, his connection to Qetsiyah and the nature of the merge ritual. I don't think she cursed him, I think Nature did."

"Why?"

"Silas was a twin. The accounts are confused but there was either an attempt to save his brother's life or to destroy it but what we do know is that Silas used a rare and dark magic to take his twin's power, which ended up killing him. Before this the Gemini were not linked to their leader but after the merge ritual they were."

"Hmm, so what happened to him? What happened to Qetsiyah and what does it have to do with finding the coven members?" she asks bluntly though not unkindly.

Shane smiles, patting the air. "I'm getting there. So your ancestor hunted down his children, but the eldest two survived. Twins. They were forced to merge by their own coven at the age of twenty two and so it began, their magic and life tied to a leader because Silas sacrificed his brother in an act of dark magic. After that siphoners were born into that line, which I think was a way of nature trying to restore some balance but they just saw them as abominations."

Bonnie nods sadly, thinking of the horrible cave in Greece. "So Silas died?"

"Ah, that's where it gets interesting. When his wife killed his kids he was understandably upset and his coven waged war on hers, effectively splitting them. The Gemini remained intact but yours was hit hard and scattered, as you know. As for Silas well people think he died but I don't, I think she wanted to make him suffer. I told you the ascendant that Jo found in Greece was a Bennett device right?"

"You think she made it?"

"I do. I think on that small island she cornered Silas and using the ascendant she trapped him in a parallel world…except it didn't go as planned," he says and gets up, looking through a pile of papers as Bonnie processes this information.

"…So you think my family is in this world…with Silas?"

"I know it sounds insane but it's possible. When Qetsiyah trapped him she sealed the way with her blood, so only she could open it again. The Gemini, in an act of revenge and as a way to rescue their leader, held her children hostage, threatening to throw them into a well if she did not release Silas."

Bonnie leans forward, shaking her head. "Wait, _her_ children? Qetsiyah and Silas had children?"

"According to legends but its not well documented. The Gemini threatened her, first pushing her handmaiden into the well in the cave and then her children. Consumed with rage and grief she cursed them all and either killed herself so that no one could free Silas or she jumped after her children in an attempt to save them. No one knows."

Bonnie, fingering the talisman, remembers the quiet grief filled cavern. "I've been to that cave, it was such a sad place…but Kai told me that siphoners were sacrificed there."

Shane nods. "They were but they were not the first."

"It's terrible…but you've seen that old ascendant with you own eyes. It's real."

"And according to the lost members even more powerful than the thing around your neck. If it's true it's connected to an entire world full of immense power. Could it be Silas? Something else? That's what your family wanted to find out. Ultimately they intended to destroy it."

Bonnie nods, thinking that her family would if they thought such power could fall into the wrong hands. Which now seems likely. "You think Silas is alive?"

"Well, he is meant to be immortal right? Vampires only exist because members of your family handed that spell down from generation to generation, until your ancestor Ayana met the Mikaelsons and well, you know what happened then."

"Our biggest shame," she answers coldly. They sit in silence, listening to witches outside talking and walking. Bonnie shakes her head after a few minutes. "Someone has the Greek ascendant, Kai was convinced someone in his coven has it but he doesn't know who. Or he's not saying," she adds scornfully. "You really don't remember him? He came to see you here, said he threatened you."

Shane blinks and then slumps with relief. "I remember," he says surprising Bonnie. "He was looking for his ascendant just after he merged with his sister. He was angry and frightened. He threatened me, its true but he set my oldest copy of Silas' grimoire on fire," he says and Bonnie almost laughs at the ire on his face. "He left when I had nothing to give him."

"…Is that true?" she asks, thinking that Jo had sent the Greek ascendant to Shane.

"I couldn't give him what he wanted. I handed the Greek ascendant over to your family."

"Did you tell him that?" she asks, her stomach tightening.

"I didn't tell him anything, thus the firework display," he says and Bonnie almost sighs in relief. She smiles at her adviser. "Not many people can say no to a witch when they want something."

"I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I might be human but I'm not completely without a spin or a brain, Bonnie," he deadpans and she laughs. She looks down at the talisman and sighs.

"So how do I go about finding the ascendant? I've tried locating spells, summoning spells, scrying and nothing."

"Well if you can't find the device the next thing and maybe the easiest is to catch the thief. You suspect the Gemini and so do I. If your husband is willing to help…"

Bonnie bites her lip, sensing that Kai is close, just across the river. She does not want to see him, she is not ready yet but she also does not want to waste any more time. "I think if Kai implicates the Gemini coven his council will crucify him."

"Would that stop him?"

"…Probably not," she answers with a tired laugh and stands. She wants to see the Bennett wing, explore it. "Come on, let's get dusty."

* * *

**Mistresses**

Over the next few days she spends her time between the Archives and the Bennett embassy, not only gathering information about her coven's past but also about her role as leader. She and Shane talk through the responsibilities and structure of her coven, as well as the connections and alliances with others. With the ball just days away she needs to know what she will be heading into, who to trust and who to avoid.

Who to avoid is clear but it's hard when you're married to him, a psychic link tethering you both together. As the week lengthens the dreams continue, filing her nights with unrest and her mornings with a sickly anticipation and dread that turns her stomach. She is unable to keep food down, her period is late, which she is pinning on nerves but as she draws the crystal beads around her wrist, walking from the shadow of the cathedral she lets herself consider the alternative.

_I can't be. It's just nerves and women don't get morning sickness this early. Get a grip._

Scolding herself with logic does little to calm the suspicion and uncertainty blares through her head constantly. She has blocked her mind from Kai, which takes a lot of concentration and effort. He has been increasingly present at night and in the mornings, her anxiety drawing him to her. She does not want Kai to know her suspicions.

 _If he thought I was pregnant…_ she lets the thought drift off. She has no idea how Kai would react but she cannot imagine that it would be positive. He plans to be the last linked leader of the Gemini coven and having children will jeopardise that. It cannot be, it must not.

Preoccupied she walks along the Thames towards Tower Bridge, her long blue tie-dye dress fluttering around her ankles, umbrella in her bag. She senses Kai before she sees him and stops dead. He is dressed in a very well fitted black coat and black trousers, standing on a narrow and rickety pier with a woman, who seems to have surprised him. He turns to the blonde, who grins, head cocking to the side. She is beautiful, tall and graceful and judging by the simple Gemini symbol tattooed on her wrist she is a witch.

Frozen and hiding behind a large lamp she watches as Kai laughs and frowns, listening to the woman talk. His eyes widen as she leans in closer, whispering something into his ear and his mouth curls in bemusement. Now Bonnie has never counted herself the jealous type but watching Kai move the woman around so that she's pressed against the end of the pier a huge swell of hurt and anger erupts, shocking her in its intensity but soon even that is swept away in her jealousy. Forgetting to mask her thoughts Kai suddenly turns as the pier creaks and cracks and his eyes meet hers across the water.

_…_ _Bonnie?_

_No._ She begins hurriedly walking away as the pier groans and she doesn't look back, doesn't care if it falls into the Thames and takes them both down with it. Her last serious relationship ended because her boyfriend had been unfaithful and while she had moved past it the hurt and insecurity is still there but she had no idea how deep or strong it had taken root. She can understand the rage and pain that her crazy ancestor must have felt.

The talisman swinging against her chest she makes it to the narrow street leading back to St Paul's when Kai catches up with her. He takes her arm and his very touch is electrifying, making them both gasp as he stops her, pulling her around and then his mouth is on hers. It's desperate and unthinking, an instinctual rough need like someone dying of thirst finding water. Bonnie pushes him away and he breathlessly starts apologising even as he pulls her in for another kiss. She shakes her head, fighting her own wild and frightening need to give in.

"Stop," she says to herself but Kai nods, taking deep breaths.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that. I – uh - I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. You blocked me and it just made it worse," he says, hands on her arms but they are standing apart. He exhales and then smiles at her. "Why did you run?"

"I didn't run."

"Yes you did. You know I'd never hurt you, don't you?"

"I'm not scared of you, I can handle myself…who was that?" she asks, unable to keep silent. Kai looks back at the pier, which is still half standing, the other half is floating down the Thames. The blonde witch is gone. Hopefully she's swimming back to whatever coven she crawled out of, Bonnie thinks spitefully and her body heats.

"That was Annabell? Annabeth? Anna something. She's a district leader for the Gemini in London."

"What did she want?"

"Why so interested?" he asks, leaning down a little and a light of mischief enters his eyes. Bonnie lifts her hand, turning away.

"If it's Gemini business then keep it to yourself."

"Wait, wait, wait," he pulls her back to him gently. "She tracked me down, had something to offer."

"Herself?" she asks snidely and Kai nods.

"Yup. She wants to sleep with me," he admits and laughs when Bonnie sneers and pulls back in disgust. "I was about to turn her down but the pier started to come apart under my feet for some reason. I wonder why?" he taps his lips, other hand still around her arm.

"I wonder," she smiles thinly and he pulls her closer to him, becoming serious.

"I'd tell her no and I'll keep saying no. There's something you have to understand, if there's anything like a future for us: this won't stop. In my coven it's common practice to cosy up to the leader, to have a string of mistresses who either want kids or power or both. That's not going to happen no matter how many try. I need you to know that."

Bonnie shrugs, avoiding his intense gaze. "I don't care."

"Yes you do," he replies softly, drawing her even closer until the side of her body is against his. "I'm not Jeremy. There is no woman on this planet, or any other, who I look at, who I touch or think about. There's _only_ you, it'll ever only be you even if I never see you again."

Bonnie says nothing, just stares up at him as he smiles softly down at her. That women will be throwing themselves at him only to be rebuffed is comforting and maybe in time, years down the line, she'll even find the attempts amusing but now she burns. If those years together are even possible. He is completely faithful because he cares about no one else but can she say the same? If she fell for someone else she can vividly imagine his reaction. Destroying an old pier would be tame in comparison.

"I believe you," she whispers, surprising him. "I think that's the only thing you say I don't doubt but right now it means nothing. Our messed up marriage has to take a back seat because I need to get my family back, that's my priority…but I need your help to do it."

"I thought you wanted time?"

"I do but what if my family don't have that luxury? I've wasted too much time on us already. I'm sorry but unlike your love mine is not just reserved for one. We're bound together now because you wanted me and if I can't get out of it then I have to use what I have available. Will you help me?"

Hurt and shame flashes across his face, she can feel it through the link as he finally nods. "What do you want me to do?"

"How did you know I was here?" she asks bluntly and he blinks.

"Back at the pier? I felt magic, a ton of it," he says and looks down at the bone talisman. He reaches for it but when he touches it he gasps in pain and snatches his hand away. "Damn, it bites."

"Only Bennett witches can handle it, or humans," she adds, thinking of Shane. "When you touch someone you can siphon but you can feel it at a distance too right?"

He nods. "Yeah. The more power the bigger the draw. I could feel magic coming from the Archives, which by the way is like a honey pot to me, but I didn't know it was you until you dropped your mind shield," he taps her forehead gently and Bonnie smacks his hand away.

"The Greek ascendant is meant to be immensely powerful. If someone in your coven does have it would you be able to sense it?"

"I haven't so far but that could mean they're either avoiding touching it or it's deeply cloaked. If we could find a way to smoke that person out then I might be able to pinpoint where it is."

Bonnie nods, inhaling. Finally it feels like she is getting somewhere. "How do we smoke them out?"

"Give me a day to think about it," he answers and then grins, wriggling his shoulders excitedly. "I like it when we conspire together Bon."

"Don't think this means I'm forgetting what you did. You're right about not wanting to bring any kids into this world. You shouldn't," she utters harshly and his face falls. Kai nods, breathing out.

"I know. I'm trying to make it up to Liv, to my other siblings who survived. I think they'll just tell me to fuck off, Liv will _definitely_ curse me, but I want to do something. I've been sending her letters as she recovers and so far she hasn't told me to stop. I want to visit her next, if she agrees and if I'm still here to do it. It's something I guess"

"…Good." Feeling guilt means nothing if you don't actively try to _show_ that guilt and act on it. He might be met with rejection but that is what he will have to face. His sister's anger stemmed mostly from the fact that he denied his part in Luke's death and pretended she no longer existed, that he had caused her pain so if he is acknowledging it then that is a start.

They look up at St Paul's and then back at the brackish Thames, which is getting busy with tourists. Kai gazes at her, an introspective search. "Are you okay?"

"What?"

"You've been ill."

"I'm fine," she brushes his concern off and forces herself not to touch her stomach or the fertility bracelet. She steps back, looking pointedly at Kai's hand still around her wrist and after a pause he lets her go. "I'll speak to you later."

"Don't go. Have a coffee with me?"

"I'm tired."

"It'll perk you up. Just one. You know my birthday is approaching and I might not have much time left. You might not care but…please?" he begs, stopping her with his voice and she sighs. People walk around her beaming happily, laughing and having a good time with their families. She nods before she can overthink it and Kai grins.

"Fine."

"Yes. See? Even London is happy you agreed," he motions around and Bonnie realises that not only is it dry but the sun is shining and not a cloud remains in the sky. She had not even noticed. Somewhat reluctantly she follows him as they begin walking along the river, towards Covent Garden and the Houses of Parliament beyond.

* * *

**Hope**

They walk for hours and ride on buses that Kai somehow got them on for free, hopping on and off until they're standing in the middle of a sprawling inner city housing estate completely lost as the sun sinks.

"I think the yellow line we're following is a liar," Kai accuses as they walk along the concrete walkways, Bonnie dragging her feet. The yellow line on the floor in meant to show them the way out but they stumble instead on a manmade lake in the middle of this brutalist architecture, which is softened with masses of hanging ivy and pink geraniums. Apartments look down on the terrace while an old church is a placed strangely to one side and even stranger Roman ruins are nestled at one end of the lake. It's surreal and oddly beautiful.

Bonnie finds a bench overlooking the reeds and ruins and sits down. "I have no idea how to get back to Kensington Gardens."

"Then come back with me," he sits down, balancing on the backrest, his feet on the seat. Bonnie looks up at him, mouth pursing. At first their little sightseeing tour had been frosty, all from her end while Kai had been over eager to get her to thaw. It is starting to work but at this suggestion she shakes her head coldly.

"No. Do you even know how to get to Camden from here?"

"No but someone will."

"Or you could do a locating spell?"

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Fine, I'll just have to call Atticus to come pick me up," she says, reaching for her phone but Kai sits beside her and snatches her cell, much to her chagrin.

"Nope. You're all mine tonight."

"I am?" she lifts her eyebrows at him as he smirks, leaning closer but she moves back. "I'm hungry."

"Me too," he continues to smirk suggestively and Bonnie rolls her eyes, getting to her feet even as her stomach sizzles pleasantly. He should not get to her but he does, her defences weak. She begins walking and he catches up to her quickly, taking her hand and this time she does not shakes him off. They finally find the exit, walking down a ramp until they come onto a narrow street, lined with restaurants and clothes shops until they find a traditional fish and chip shop. Kai pulls her in, where they are greeted warmly. The guy behind the counter is about to take their order but then someone moves behind them. They both go cold at once as the server smiles and nods at the new arrival with familiarity.

"Usual, boss?"

"Cheers," Klaus Mikaelson says and gives Bonnie and Kai a rosy, apple cheeked smile, Greta Martin at his side.

* * *

They sit at a table, Kai and Bonnie on one side and Klaus and Greta on the other. Four plates of steaming battered cod and chips sit before them, which Klaus tucks into immediately but when he notices that no one else is he points down with his knife.

"Eat, it's the best in Islington. I'm a loyal costumer and have been for many, _many_ years."

Kai narrows his eyes and then shrugs, eating and then makes a noise of delight. Klaus grins at him and is met with a smile in return. Bonnie stares at Greta, who only has eyes for the vampire.

"I thought English food would suck but this is good," Kai comments.

"As you've just arrived I'll let that slide. Now then, what is Bonnie Bennett doing in my manor, as they say around here."

She spears a chip on her fork as Kai drinks from a coke can. She shrugs, opting for the truth. "Sightseeing and then we got lost. Do you live around here?"

"I do, so you can imagine my delight seeing you after all these years. I know we've had our quibbles but I have always respected your bravery and loyalty. I must say marriage is suiting you darling, you're _glowing_ ," he winks and Bonnie loses her appetite. Can he sense something different about her? Something she cannot? If he does he says no more, turning his attention to Kai who is utterly at ease before the Original Hybrid. Bonnie's snide comment about friendship is coming true; they get on like a house on fire.

"I might not have vampire hearing but I know you've been following us since we reached St Bart's Hospital. I assume it's not just to offer congratulations?" Kai asks as he squirts tomato ketchup on his fish, which she is picking at, even though it is tasty. She looks at Kai with a frown.

"You knew they were following us?"

"He's been following you since you got to London," he says and Bonnie is shocked. Klaus smiles guiltily, nodding.

"I'm not denying it. I've wanted to talk to you but you flit between places I have no access to. Greta hasn't had any luck either."

Bonnie looks at her fellow witch, who finally stares at her. She does not really know her, even though their families are so close. "Are you okay?" she asks and Greta nods.

"I'm fine."

"Your family thinks you've been kidnapped."

"I know and no matter what I tell them they won't listen. It's my choice to leave the coven, to stay with Klaus."

"Really?"

Klaus answers, putting his arm around Greta. "It's true it took a lot of persuading to get her interested but it paid off, didn't it?" he asks and she smiles and the besotted, almost zealous light in Greta's eyes makes Bonnie feel sick.

"You're a witch, we don't serve vampires," she says and Greta's eyes snap to her, blazing with affront even as she laughs.

"You can talk! Didn't your grandmother almost die trying to save some vampires you were friends with? I don't serve Klaus, I don't serve anyone or anything but my own cause."

"Which is?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," she answers with maddening smugness and Bonnie crosses her arms over her chest. Kai smiles at her, sipping on his coke, his food almost finished. He tips the can at Klaus.

"You wanna know where Elena Gilbert is right?"

"Kai!" she warns but he ignores her as Klaus sits forward slowly, his eyes fixed on the Gemini leader.

"I do. Are you willing to share?"

"Depends what you're offering."

"No it doesn't!" Bonnie says, trying to stand but Kai keeps her down, hand on her leg. She stares fiercely at him but he is eye to eye with Klaus. "I swear if you say anything I will make you regret it."

"Listen the truth is I don't give a crap about Elena Gilbert or you or the Martin witches. Shit I don't even care about my own coven but I admit I do have a certain invested interest in what you're trying to achieve."

Klaus nods, not insulted. "My sire line is long and like you I couldn't give flying fig if they all combusted into ash, a few exceptions of course. As I understand you're also under the same predicament. This ritual, if successful, could shed light on how to untie yourself from the weight attached to you."

They smile and nod at each other and all Bonnie can do is watch in appalled silence. Kai looks down at his plate, finishing off a few chips he has missed.

"Of course breaking the link comes with draw backs. When an entire people know that their life is literally in your hands they'd do _anything_ to protect you, even if they hate you. That does come with some advantages, which you're aware."

"It does but it also makes you a target for enemies you haven't even made. An entire line of vampires, who are only distantly related to me, piss off the wrong person and they decide to target their ire at me, thus eradicating their problem in one fell swoop. I also have siblings, we kill and then regret later," he adds and Kai laughs.

"Same. So you want to sacrifice Elena Gilbert for her blood, blood that was used to turn you all in the first place?"

"Correct."

"Elena doesn't have to die," Bonnie bursts out, getting angrier by the second. Kai's hand is still on her knee, rubbing but she ignores it. "Haven't you hurt her enough?"

"I have nothing against Elena, she's just the key to fixing all my problems love. Unfortunately Elijah is acting the white knight again and hidden her from me. Greta can't find her, which she thinks is down to her father cloaking them…but I know you've seen them," he says, looking back at Kai.

"If we have, hypothetically speaking, then what?"

" _Hypothetically_ I'd hand over the whereabouts of a key that could also fix all your problems," Klaus says and Kai stares at him, completely still before he begins to smile slowly.

"For the whereabouts of _your_ key?"

"Precisely. I have to say Bonnie your fella is a lot sharper than the littlest Gilbert and the other Mystic Falls friends you had. I'm glad you've set your sights higher, though not surprised," he smiles at her charmingly and Kai awws, nudging her side but Bonnie stares stonily at both of them.

"You can both choke."

"She doesn't mean it," Kai waves his fork dismissively and Klaus shrugs, laughing as he finishes his fish.

"So then, do we have a deal?"

"Gonna need to see some proof. You know, a little _hope_ ," he says, staring with a friendly intensity at Klaus. The smile on the vampire's face freezes and then slowly drips away. Bonnie stiffens, feeling the cold shift in the atmosphere at once but Kai carries on talking. "When I was imprisoned I didn't have any hope. I just wanted power and what was mine. I think you can understand that. I got my throne but I didn't care about the members linked to me. They were strangers, what did they matter?" he shrugs, looking down at his plate, which Bonnie sees he's arranged like a chess board, the chips as pieces. "Pawns and nothing more…but that changed," he says softly, turning to look at Bonnie and smiles gently.

She shakes her head. "What are you doing?"

"I'm talking about the last thing in the box, a thing that even monsters need. Hope," he says, turning back to Klaus who is now staring at Kai with a fixed and furious look. If Kai moves Klaus looks like he is going to launch himself across the table and rip his throat out. Nervous and deeply confused Bonnie takes Kai's hand that is on her leg. His fingers lace through hers.

"How did you find out?" Klaus asks through stiff lips and Kai smiles.

"I did some digging because I wondered why, after a thousand years, would Klaus Mikaelson suddenly want to unlink himself, when before he was so focused on creating hybrids and stuff. Family was important to this guy, but it had to be _his_. I understood that and it hit me. Your sire line means nothing but your _daughter_ …" he trails off, cocking his head. Klaus shifts and Bonnie can hear him growling, his eyes flashing gold. "You'd kill everyone and anything to protect her. I get that feeling now."

Greta scowls at him. "If you think you can threaten him you're severely deluded."

"Who's threatening? We're just talking," Kai sighs and stares at the Original vampire with pity. "Listen I've got no beef with you, like I said I sympathise…but if you approach Bonnie again or try to drag her into your shit I'll spread the whereabouts of your hope to all those who really need it," he says and for the first time his voice loses its friendliness.

Klaus coils, his face apoplectic with rage and something Bonnie never thought she would see: fear. "Do you have any idea who you're talking to?!"

"Sure, the Original vampire who wouldn't even be sitting here in this year of our lord if it wasn't for the efforts of the two covens sitting before you. The better question is do _you_ have any idea who the fuck you're talking to?" he asks and his voice is soft, his violence cold and deadly. This is what people fear about witches, that they can switch on you in a second, turn your whole world upside down because you happen to cross their path and give them the wrong look or say the wrong thing. Better to believe they do not exist, that you're really safe because the alternative is too frightening. Klaus has forgotten this.

Klaus leans down, eyes fixed on Kai. "I could kill your entire family."

"Guess you really don't know me then, huh. You're not gonna do that. One because been there, done that and two because you love your daughter more than your own life or that of anyone else's. You don't want put her in any pointless danger. I meant what I said, I've got no issue with you. I don't care about vampires, no offence, and we've got other shit to be doing you know?"

"…You love her don't you?" Klaus says softly, sitting back and Bonnie holds her breath. Kai stares at him, his mouth curling.

"She's my wife," he replies simply and they watch him finishing his dinner in a strange hypnotic tension but slowly it abates, Klaus staring at Kai in silence as he chatters away happily. "Next year I wanna throw Bonnie the biggest birthday party she's ever had, inviting all her friends who don't suck. Bon you're gonna have to make some new friends. The party isn't a surprise now, sorry," he adds, wincing comically before smiling at Klaus. "I imagine you'll have bouncy castles, creepy clowns and unicorns for your daughter's first birthday right? I hope you go all out and make her day, sincerely…but don't bother sending us an invite."

"Don't worry, there's no chance of that," Klaus says tiredly, his anger and fear apparently settling. He gazes at the Gemini, finally getting the shape of him. He snorts, shaking his head. "You're bonkers. Every Gemini I've ever met has been but you take the cake."

Kai smiles proudly and drains the last of his coke before getting to his feet. Bonnie stands with him, looking down at Klaus.

"Just leave Elena alone. Maybe the problem you have will sought itself out without your interference. Just…let it be. You - you don't want to go to the effort of sacrificing Elena only to find that it comes with a cost you can't fix. You don't know the consequences of breaking your sireline. You might cause the thing you're trying to avoid."

Klaus looks up at her and smiles weakly. "I can't take the risk of doing nothing. I have so many enemies. Hope doesn't deserve to pay for my sins," he sighs miserably and Bonnie tilts her head.

"Then maybe asking for help instead of threatening will change that. You'll only make more enemies Klaus, not allies."

"Have I made another today?" he asks, looking at Kai who is talking animatedly to one of the waiters outside. Probably asking for recipes. Bonnie shrugs.

"Kai is telling the truth, the only people he actively dislikes are his extended family," at this Klaus laughs. "We're not your enemy, not unless you make us," Bonnie answers quietly as Kai calls for her impatiently and she wonders when she started referring to them as _we_. She waves her hand, shushing him before turning back to Klaus. The Original smiles. If he is worried or angry now he does not show it. He must believe them, she hopes so if only for his benefit. The vampire had been protected by his blood connection to her friends, Kai would have no such hesitation if pushed.

Klaus sighs, laying out money on the table. "Well, all I can say is bygones. You're quite the formidable pair aren't you?"

"You won't bother us again?"

"Not unless you cause me to darling," he says with a dangerous smile before shrugging. "If one day you're back in London and want a little tour come find me. He's completely barking but fearless. Reminds me of my little brother, especially when he had magic," he says, watching as Kai comes and grabs Bonnie's hand. He hastily salutes Klaus with a wink.

"I'm getting bored. Thanks for dinner Nicklaus."

"Malachai," the vampire inclines his head and then looks at Bonnie, considering carefully before he speaks. "If you want to know the whereabouts of a certain gizmo you're best retracing your steps, getting more _advice,_ " Klaus says before placing his finger to his lips and winking. Bonnie stills, staring at him. Is he talking about going back to the Archives?

Kai is still but then he smiles. "…Bonnie is right, just sit back and relax, let your big brother do the heavy lifting. I think you'll be satisfied with the results," Kai says suddenly and then pulls Bonnie from the restaurant before Klaus' surprisingly good mood ends.

* * *

Before dawn they reach Kensington Gardens. The park is shut but Kai gets them in and they walk alone below the trees, towards the embassies. He had tried to convince her to come back to his house near Hampstead Heath but Bonnie refused. She will spend time with him, especially if helps her find answers, but anything more is not happening. He had teleported her back instead and the effort clearly drains him so she makes them sit on a bench. Despite the healing vampire blood he is still flagging and she is starting to suspect Kai is starting to experience his first magical blockage. Not as completely stopped as hers but his emotions must be quietly chaotic. He says nothing, seemingly content just to be near her. They speak about their unconventional dinner.

"How did you know Klaus had a daughter? Which is impossible by the way."

"Impossible but true. I've got my ways...He knocked up a werewolf, who died in childbirth apparently but I think she's out there. No one knows about any of this, not even his family. The baby survived because of Greta, so you can understand the connection between her and Klaus."

"She looked in love."

"Oh she is, totally drinking the vampire cool aid."

"Klaus could have killed you. He still could." He seemed to have taken Bonnie's word to heart about making allies rather than enemies but Klaus can hold a grudge longer than Kai. He could attack them when they least expect it.

"He could _try_ yeah," he smiles and Bonnie shakes her head at his arrogance. "If he touched you I would have poured pan oil over him and torched him in his favourite chippy," he says in a perfect English accent before dropping back to his normal voice. "Oh speaking of setting things on fire look at this," he pulls out his cell phone and hands it to her, which Bonnie takes gingerly.

"I'm not gonna see something gross am I?"

"Just look. My housekeeper sent it to me, along with a long letter of resignation. I'm not paying her enough apparently," Kai says as he taps the video she is staring at.

At first she sees the huge mansion that they got married in and then the scene shifts, panning over grass and bushes until it swings over to where the repaired gazebo should be. In it's place is blackened rubble but this is not what makes her gasp. As the video moves to the cliff edge she sees something that she took to be the sun coming into focus. Resting on the sand below is a massive pillar of fire, which stretches up and past the cliff edge. It must be forty feet high, maybe taller.

"Is – is that our wedding bowl?"

"Yup. It was burning so wildly they were scared it would set the mansion on fire so they threw it into the sea. It washed up on the beach, the fire getting bigger and bigger but the oil is not spreading or diminishing. It's contained in the bowl."

Bonnie stares at Kai. "You were the only one who could light the oil, my magic wasn't working. You did it for both of us."

"Yeah, guess I overcompensated."

Bonnie gazes at him, knowing that the fire that burns so powerfully but so focused is all him, a testament to his feelings, even half a world away. If she had added to the fire would it be tempered or burn even more violently? Is it arrogant to believe that the strength of it is just directed at her?

"What you said earlier, about not caring about your family, did you mean it?"

Kai blinks, silent for some time as the wind blows gently through the trees. "My immediate family consists of you, my dad and Liv. I want to make it right with her, like I said but my dad…" he trails off before snorting humorlessly. "I understand why he did what he did but it doesn't negate the fact he treated me like crap since before I can remember. His family meant nothing to him, only preserving the coven."

Bonnie nods, remembering his father saying something similar to her. "Coven comes before family," she whispers and he looks at her sharply, mouth twisting.

"Not to me. You won't want to hear this but when that house in Greece was tipping over and we were about to go with it I had a choice: me, you or the kid. I didn't even hesitate. I didn't care if Athena died or if I did, I just needed you to be safe."

"Kai…"

"You're my family and you come before coven, you come before anything. I know this sounds like I should be locked in the Fauline Asylum, especially because if I die so do you. I need to be more careful but when it comes to it, in that split second, I know what I'd do, who I'd chose," he gazes at her with a vulnerable intensity, making her breathless but she tries to deflect his emotional words with glibness.

"…Well I want to live Kai, so part of you has to be a little more selfish. It's not just me who's linked to you but thousands. Think about all the new additions, the marriages and friendships that make up your coven. Can you feel them?"

Kai smiles gently. "Every single one…but they're not you."

Bonnie shakes her head. She is not expecting him to love each member, like her own members they are all mostly strangers but to feel nothing for their survival is disturbing. She looks down at her lap, picking at a bead around her wrist "…What if your family was to grow? Would your feelings change?"

"…What do you mean?" he asks, his eyes searching for her averted gaze and then over her face. Panic sets in at his sudden scrutiny and Bonnie shakes her head.

"Nothing. It was just a hypothetical," she says, getting to her feet but he quickly follows her up, reaching for her but his hand connects with the talisman around her neck and he hisses, moving back.

"Take that thing off."

"Why?"

"Because I can't read you when you wear it."

"Huh, good to know," she says, moving back. She wishes she had kept her mouth closed as Kai stares at her fixedly, suspicious and nervous. He holds out his hand.

"Stay with me?"

Bonnie shakes her head, arms crossing over her torso. "I can't."

"You don't have to take it off, okay? Just tell me what you meant? Are – are you?" he stammers, breathing heavily and Bonnie looks away, biting the inside of her cheek.

"I don't know," she whispers, barely audible and when Kai moves she looks at him sharply, stopping him in his tracks. "Don't. I'll walk back with you but no more questions. I don't have any answers for you."

"…Okay, okay," he says, not touching her as she moves. He keeps by her side as they reach the leafy street and stare up at their two embassies in silence. Bonnie avoids looking at him, scared that her face will give her fear away but knowing it is too late. He casts furtive glances at her, heavy with questions that neither want the answer to.

"You haven't been inside yet?" she asks suddenly when the silence becomes unbearable and he shakes his head.

"No. One becuase there's like twenty versions of that woman on the pier in there and two..." he trails off, noting her sore look and smiles. "My coven knew I was locked up, they were happy with the arrangement so you can imagine how awkward it is now. My council hardly recognises me or my rule," he says, sighing and Bonnie feels a pang of sympathy.

"Bet you wish it was your inner circle that disappeared rather than mine."

Kai grins and lifts his hands. "You got me. They could use a time out…" he sighs, the smile fading and for a moment he looks deadly serious. If he had the means to Bonnie has no doubt that he would subject the people that allowed him to be imprisoned to a similar fate. She blinks rapidly, idea taking hold.

"If you had your ascendant, or any, would you use it as a weapon?"

He stares at her, mouth pursing a little before he smiles. "Does it matter? Tomorrow they might just get their wish so…" he shrugs, staring back up at the huge Gemini building. Bonnie touches his arm as it really sinks in that she may never see him again after tomorrow. At her gentle, hesitant touch Kai looks down at her.

"Whatever happens at the ball, just don't leave my side okay?" she thinks of the dreams, Kai suddenly disappearing in a crowded room. If she has him in her sights than maybe it will not happen, or at the least she will be prepared. The corner of Kai's lips curl softly.

"So you'll come with me tomorrow?"

"I was gonna go anyway. I got a dress that's worth more than my apartment in Mystic Falls," she deadpans and she is only slightly joking. The dress is stunning and a hopeful part of her anticipates his reaction. Now he inhales happily, nodding.

"I told you how I usually celebrate my birthday."

"Yeah, like a horny sailor coming to shore," she remarks dryly and he laughs.

"Well this time, whatever happens, it'll be the best one yet," he smiles softly down at her and she feels her face heating. She touches the talisman over her chest, feels the powerful magic washing over her and marvels how similar it feels. His love is relentless and despite her wishes for it to wash over her she can feel it wearing her resistance down. But what does she have to give in return? She's still blocked in every sense and she cannot let him tear it from her. It must be a gradual release, something that takes time and before they know it he might one day feel something from her that overwhelms him too.

 _One day…_ As the sky begins to lighten, dawn approaching, Bonnie gazes at him tiredly before slowly inclining her head back, offering her cheek.

"Kiss me goodnight."

He inhales again, searching her eyes before he leans down and presses his lips to her cheek, his soft touch lingering before he places his cheek to hers, mouth at her ear. "Good morning. At midnight I'll kiss you goodnight."

She smiles but drops it when she pulls back. "Whatever happens Kai I'm glad that you're making steps to make things right with Liv and your two other siblings. That's the most important thing, salvaging what's left of your family."

"…I'm trying. It's hard but I have to do something, if only so I can sleep again. Burning letters of apology or pretending they don't exist doesn't work anymore. They just haunt me more than the actual ghosts," he adds with an exhausted laugh before nodding with resolve, inhaling deep like he's about to plunge into something dark and unknown. Bonnie hopes that he really means it. Not for her sake or that of their strange relationship but because it means something solely to him. Elena is right, her forgiveness means nothing. Kai cannot and will not find true peace from her lips, not for the lives he took. That he wants to _try_ makes him different from the other monsters from her past.

She just hopes he has the chance before it's too late.


	5. The Ball

**The Thoroughfares**

Bonnie sleeps deeply and the only sign that she is desperately trying to crawl back to consciousness is the furrow of her brow and the clench of her fists…

_The ballroom is as empty and as vast as before but the hole in the ground seems bigger. The darkness within is impenetrable, sucking in the fading light from the windows. She presses herself against a mirror, watching as wine and champagne glasses suddenly tip over and skid across the floor and fall into the well. Plates, dropped napkins and fans are all pulled after the glasses._

_Like a black hole…it swells as it ingests the contents of the room and she cannot look away. The bone talisman suddenly floats off her chest and she can see streams of magic being pulled from it with such force that she is dragged towards the hole. Falling to her knees Bonnie rips the talisman over her head before the force can pull her into the hole. The talisman disappears into the darkness below and Bonnie pants, clutching the edges and stares down. She sees nothing and hears only the whoosh of her breathing but then another noise begins to echo from below and she strains to hear._

_… Help me. Help me. Help me. Help…_

_"Lucy?" she gasps, hearing a woman's voice and she leans towards the noise that grows faint and with a lurch she loses her balance and tips into the hole._

"No!" Bonnie jerks awake, clutching at the covers twisting around her and stares into the fading dark as the lights festooned around her bed begin to wink awake. The sun is just climbing and she has been asleep for an hour. Slumping back down she looks at the empty pillow beside hers and wishes that she could feel a pair of arms around her. His.

* * *

The morning of the annual Summer Solstice Ball dawns misty but warm and as the sunrises it burns through the fog. Bonnie wakes late to a spotless blue sky. It is a beautiful day, at odds with the dark foreboding twisting her stomach and crowding her head with worry. She might never see Kai again and it seems the curse is pleased at her anxiety. The 21st is the longest day of the year and she knows she will spend every hour if it watching the minutes tick down to midnight.

 _If I was cracking open a bottle in celebration the embassy would probably fall in._ That quiet dread had almost caused her to give into his desire to spend the night in his bed – just to sleep, he had been hasty to add – but she would have had less sleep than she already has. Her head is filled with nightmarish visions of black holes, screaming witches and no Kai. Barely keeping her eyes open she watches car after car driving along the row from her window, picking up coven leaders and their families.

She had agreed to travel to the venue with Kai. The celebration commences at 5, beginning with a feast and then the ball afterwards. When the sunsets all guests are invited to watch the longest day end together. Every year the London Gemini host the celebration in their seat of power in west London, which is also the Gemini headquarters for the rest of Europe. The palace sits atop a hill in Richmond Park, thousands of acres bequeathed to the Parker family by Charles II, who had no idea that he was giving the land to a family of witches, or so the legend goes.

Bonnie has seen pictures of the building and beautiful grounds, said to rival Versailles, but seeing it with her own eyes will be something else entirely. She just hopes she can appreciate it. Kai had promised to show her around the next day, if that day ever comes. Watching a large limousine drive past, the small flags of the Claire coven wavering, Bonnie gets up and stares at her dress still on the manikin. After the glass roof over the Menagerie had cracked and sent thousands of precious birds free over the vast shopping centre Bonnie had avoided showing her face, though she had asked Shane to cover the expense of repairs, while Kai is paying for the recovery of the birds and reimbursing the hotel for the loss of income. He had gone back, accessing a heavily guarded doorway in the Armoury to the American Mall. He told her with barely concealed glee about harried witches trying to capture birds that can move quicker then thought and bring lightening in their wake. He is slow to help, enjoying the havoc a little too much.

 _At least the phoenix didn't escape. If she exploded without the magical confines of her cage…_ Pushing this troubling thought away Bonnie touches the dress, which she had been fitted for in this very room. The last time she had really dressed for an occasion had been for her wedding but that dress she had barely paid attention to, just wanting to get it off as soon as possible. This dress she takes time to appreciate.

The long figure hugging dress is made of fine black lace, with a dark gold camisole underneath and hundreds of iridescent sequins sparkle in the light. The neckline plunges to above her naval, offering a generous view of her cleavage. Before she had gleamed like blue stars in a white sky, now she is dark stardust. Again she thinks of her life as it should have been, as a lecturer and small town witch; she certainly would not have turned up at faculty parties in the finest couture.

Still in her dressing gown and mind preoccupied with her latest nightmare, she texts Shane, who she knows is already on his way to the ball, to make sure that everything is in order for her arrival. She will for the first time be placed with the other coven leaders at the high table, beside Kai, who will be pride of place as the Gemini leader. Her phone buzzes and she looks down and sees a message from her adviser.

_Leave asap, the thoroughfares are busy._

Bonnie sighs, texting Kai this but receives no answer. In fact he has not spoken to her since he had kissed her good morning. Wondering if he is still asleep she moves before her mirror and places her hand on the surface. Closing her eyes she concentrates, griping the talisman around her neck. The mirror flashes rapidly, peeking through mirror after mirror until finally it stops. She should not be able to access the Gemini embassy in such a way and she looks down at the bone necklace, impressed but when she looks back up her smile freezes.

The reflection shows a bedroom with dark wood furniture and forest green walls and in a huge bed a blonde woman stretches, waking. Frozen, heart racing she watches as the woman sits up and jerks when she sees Bonnie staring back at her.

"Hello?"

"…Hi. Sorry, I think I have the wrong room."

"Looking for Malachai? He's not here," the woman offers helpfully, completely at ease at having a stranger spying on her from a mirror. Feeling like a fist is squeezing her heart and head Bonnie tries to keep her voice level.

"Where is he?"

"Buggered if I know. I fell asleep waiting for him," she says, throwing the covers back and gets out. Relief floods through Bonnie, her muscles relaxing and she almost laughs.

"You were waiting for him?"

"Yeah. Told him I'd be here yesterday but then the pier mishap happened."

"Oh, yeah I heard about that. Did you fall in?" she asks in barely concealed mock concern and the woman narrows her eyes, even as she smiles.

"Almost but we both teleported away. Sorry, are you Bonnie Bennett?" she asks, moving towards the mirror and Bonnie nods stiffly. The woman smiles and it looks maddeningly genuine.

"I'm Anna Booth-Parker. Everyone calls me Annie. It's very nice to meet you."

"It – it is?"

"Of course. You're the wife of my leader. It's a great honour," she says and there is not a trace of mockery to her words. Bonnie looks at her slinky nightgown and big breasts and this time she does laugh.

"This is beyond weird, I don't even...Listen I don't know what's going on but did Kai ask you to come?"

"No, I sort of took the initiative. Do you mind awfully?" she asks suddenly, as if the thought had just occurred to her. "It's tradition you see. My family has been pestering me to make a good impression after my husband died. I've been widowed for some time. I hope I haven't ruined everything," Anna says anxiously and she means a good impression on _her_.

Bonnie rubs her face, feeling like she's in Wonderland, conversing with the politest wannabe mistress in the world. "Look I have to get ready. If – if you see Kai tell him I was here, okay?"

"Of course. I will see you both at the ball, it's going to be smashing," she says excitedly and Bonnie nods tiredly, letting go of the pendant and the mirror flickers, fading back to normal. Staring at her refection Bonnie starts to laugh, which turns into a long suffering groan.

The Gemini are insane, every single one.

* * *

Two hours later Bonnie waits in a limousine for Kai. Her dress is covered with a black velvet cloak and her wavy hair is pined up and secured around a simple gold tiara, which is adorned with sprigs of amaranth made from faceted amethyst and rubies. Like every morning she had picked at her food, nauseous but this time the nerves are for a very different reason.

_Why do I feel like this? He's not going to die. He might not even disappear. Visions are not set in stone, they can be interpreted in many ways. And so what if women want to sleep with him? I said from the start this was business, which okay we have mixed with pleasure…so why does this hurt so much?_

Mind whirling, staring at the park across the street she does not notice Kai beside her until she feels his hand on her thigh as the door closes. She inhales, closing her eyes.

"You're late."

"Sorry. I – I found it tough to get ready," he says and Bonnie turns to him. He is dressed in a three piece black tux with a bow tie, his hair neat and his beard shaved to a presentable stubble. He looks incredibly handsome and her breath catches. He gazes at her with warm admiration, eyes roving over her features before he slips his hand under her cloak, wanting to see her dress. She slaps his hand away.

"Nope. Gonna have to wait."

He growls with a lip biting smile and sits back as they pull away from the pavement. The car, which is decorated with two different flags, turns into the main street at Knightsbridge but the usual traffic and red buses shimmer and then disappears. They are on a Thoroughfare, a circuit of ancient roadways built by Roman witches that are still in use today. This particular road will take them to Richmond and the Gemini Palace.

"Look at the crowds," Kai notes, as they travel west, passing along the highstreets but the human shoppers are gone. Today the usually quiet thoroughfares are lined with witches on either side, clapping and waving as they pass. Silently amazed at the reception Bonnie tears her eyes away and looks at Kai, who is looking through his window.

"Happy Birthday," she whispers and he turns to her with a smile.

"Thanks…Did you invite all these people Bon?" he asks, nodding at the witches along the roads and Bonnie laughs.

"Of course. I mean the entire ball is about you right?"

"If it's my last one everyone is invited, even my stupid coven."

They stare at each other, both filling with emotion that neither knows how to ease. Kai inhales and Bonnie looks away, thinking of the strange confrontation that morning.

"So…how did you sleep?"

"Ah, well, I didn't. Goldilocks _everywhere_ ," he admits, looking a little sheepish but also annoyed. He _does_ look exhausted and she half wishes she had invited him to come to her room. "I searched for a bed but nope, more Goldilocks. Is it pathetic that I have to hide from my own minions?"

"It is if you call them minions. I spoke to Annie Booth-Parker this morning, I was looking for you," she says and his eyebrows jump, looking nervous.

"Ah. That you're still talking to me is a good sign right?"

"She wants to be your Madame De Pompadour, I think because her family is pushing her. She's - well - she's kinda sweet?" she admits and Kai laughs.

"I thought you were jealous."

"Why would I be jealous?"

"I don't know, why would you be?" he asks playfully and Bonnie rolls her eyes, looking out of her window so he can't see her smile. They are in a leafy neighbourhood now, the sun shining. She looks down when Kai takes her left hand. "I wanna give you a gift," he whispers and before she can ask what he slips a plain gold ring on her finger. It's heavy.

"Kai."

"Before you say no it's not a wedding ring. It belonged to Jo. My mom gave it to her."

Bonnie twists the gold band around her finger slowly. "I should be giving you gifts."

"Maybe later?" he asks, his lips curling slowly, eyes glowing with seductive thoughts that she pictures suddenly very vividly. Her face heats and she squeezes her thighs together.

"You're not doing that to my dress, not unless you wanna pay for another ruined thing?"

"I can afford it. I like destroying pretty things, almost as much as I like them destroying me," he whispers and the flush deepens, spreading down her throat and chest. She blocks her mind before he sees the image of her hiking her cloak up and straddling his lap but he must have caught a sense of it because he exhales a low laugh.

Bonnie slides the ring along her finger, trying to focus. "Who's gonna be there?"

Smiling he sits back, giving her some space. "Everyone important. Leaders and their immediate family and advisers. Lots of Gemini, of course. The place we're going to was where the leader used to live, before we moved to the US."

"I know. Who lives there now?"

"Family who stayed behind. They're desperate for the leader to either move back or the next leader to be born here."

"Thus your Goldilocks problem?"

"Yup."

"…But they know that you're married? Doesn't that mean anything?"

Kai looks at her seriously as they drive over a picturesque white bridge. "No. They think our marriage was a political match, not for love. They think I'm open season. I'm gonna show them that I'm not…should I bother?" he adds, holding his breath and Bonnie cannot look away.

"You said they'll be after you no matter if I'm with you or not."

He nods tiredly. "If I don't find a way to break this link I _have_ to produce heirs. As I get older my magic and those connected to me will weaken and when I die they'll all go with me, including you, unless one of my kids succeeds me…If there's no way out of this, if the Originals don't break their sireline and show it's possible, then I have to do it. You know I only want you. If we ever have kids..." he peters off.

Bonnie stares at him intensely, conflicted. The suspicion that she is pregnant is unspoken but it is in his heavy gaze and her unsaid words. "I can't and I won't. Your coven will never get their hands on any child of mine."

"…My coven or me?"

"Kai, please," she begs tiredly and he looks away, jaw clenching. "Why are we even talking about this?"

"You know why."

"What does it matter?! I might not see you after tonight! Whoever has your ascendant might activate it and you'll be gone. That's what my dream is telling me," she says desperately and his gaze is even more so. He takes her hands.

"That's why we have to talk about this. If I go and if there's no way back for me, if you're pregnant and my coven finds out they will never let you go. They'll take the child, twin or not and you might never see them again."

"Then they'd have a war on their hands," she growls, turning away but he grabs her.

"I need to know. I won't be able to bear it never seeing you again, not knowing the truth. Take off the talisman, let me read you," he begs, getting on his knees before her. He grips her thighs, gaze intense. Bonnie swallows, hands pressing against her stomach. Even with her own magic she would not be able to tell, no witch can read herself. She could have gone to a drug store, found out the old fashioned way but for days she has been effectively burying her head in the sand, pretending nothing exists.

"I'm scared. I want to be a mother one day, but not like this. If it's true…I can't go through with it, I'm sorry."

He inhales deeply through his nose and nods. "I understand. I'm so sorry I got you into this mess."

"You are?" she asks, barely managing a smile as she lifts the talisman over her head.

"I spent years thinking of ways to have you, to make sure that after I won the merge you'd be my wife. I didn't care if this happened, well I hoped it wouldn't but now…" he shakes his head, exhaling loudly. "I wish neither of us were leaders, that we met and started dating like normal people do. That we were normal. That's the only way I can imagine having a family."

"Pretending to be someone else? You've waited decades for this life and now it's not what you want?"

"You're in it. I thought I'd be alone, even after I got out," he admits and then smiles softly at her. He lifts his hands towards her face, hesitates and after she nods he places his fingertips gently against her temples. She closes her eyes and feels his presence not just in her mind but her body, a quick flood of him that makes her gasp before he withdraws, taking his hands away from her face. The inspection is quick and painless. She keeps her eyes closed, too nervous to open them and see his damning expression but when she feels his lips touch hers softly she opens her eyes.

Kai smiles and shakes his head. "You're not pregnant."

"Are you sure?" she asks, tears of relief springing into her eyes. Kai hesitates, looking sad and nervous but then he nods firmly. "Thank god," the words shudder out as she throws her arms around him and he holds her tightly. They embrace for a long time before he moves to sit beside her, arms still around her waist. The relief makes her body feel boneless and she rests her head against his shoulder. Images of cribs in sunlit rooms, chaotic bath times and parent evenings fill her head, beautiful, normal and unreal and this time it does not knot her stomach with dread, just wistfulness. They sit close and quiet for a long time and she hardly sees the ornate gates to the Parker estate pass by. Kai jerks, inhaling a breath.

"…Is your adviser there?" he asks suddenly, breaking the long silence and Bonnie leans off him, nodding.

"Why?"

"Just wondering," he answers lightly, turning to watch a herd of deer grazing in a field. Bonnie narrows her eyes and though she feels incredibly light another weight is still there.

"Kai…maybe this is a bad idea? I told you about my dreams, my visions. What if you attending the ball just makes it happen? A self-fulfilling prophecy."

Kai nods, turning back to her. "I know but I think someone here has it…and as soon as we passed the gates I felt a wallop of power. It could be all the witches gathered but this feels like there's a galaxy of magic up ahead."

"The Greek ascendant?"

"I think so," he says and Bonnie feels a flare of triumph. "If it's there then I'm guessing mine is to. I hope it is, that's why I'm going and not spending time alone with you," he says and Bonnie smiles.

"This is good news Kai. If it's there we can get it back."

"Even if I go poof in front of you because of the brand on me I can be brought back, it's like a tether." He exhales a shaky breath, looking up as they begin to crest a hill. "Fuck it's so powerful, can't you feel it?"

She shakes her head, starting to frown. "Kai…how do you know yours is here?"

"Because I think Atticus Shane has it. Klaus said to retrace my steps, get more advice. I spoke to Atticus and he feigned ignorance, which I did not suspect. He's good, I'll give him that. However the other reason I need you here is because if that sneaky fuck has it but doesn't hand it over I'm gonna kill him. Human sacrifice on the solstice, like in the good old days," he says with relish and Bonnie rolls her eyes.

"You don't know that. You just don't like him."

"I don't but come on, it makes sense. Jo sent the Greek ascendant to him and before she died she had mine. I thought my father had it but it stands to reason that she sent both. Why he hasn't fessed up I don't know but I'm gonna enjoy stabbing the truth out of him."

"You're not stabbing any one," Bonnie shakes her head, not believing Shane is the culprit. "If my dream comes true, if he doesn't have it, then what?"

Kai shrugs. "Well I'm hoping that you find it anyway and bring me back…You will, right?" he asks, his smile fading and Bonnie stares at him in silence as they reach the top of the hill and they suddenly have a breath-taking view of the park and the estate atop of another low hill close by. It is huge, gleaming cream against a blue summer sky. She can see a line of cars in the drive way, snaking up and down the hill. Hundreds will be attending, Gemini from all over Europe, including his inner circle…Is this just a way for Kai to assure his freedom or something else? If someone imprisoned her for eighteen solitary years she would not be attending parties with them. Unbidden the movie _Carrie_ and the image of the tormented teen covered in blood and surrounded by fire comes to mind.

"Kai…you're not gonna do anything are you?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know that's why I'm asking."

His eyes rove over her face slowly, soaking in her worry and then he smirks softly. "If this was before the merge the Gemini would be _very_ thin on the ground after I finished with them. You know my original plan, before I set eyes on you, was to merge and then just kill myself? I thought that would teach 'em."

"…Kai," she whispers, scared but he touches her cheek, smiling weakly.

"Not now. Not after you…and not after Greece. I liked those people and I'm actually super excited to see them again. Not everyone in my coven sucks. Glad I had the chance to actually find that out."

"So you don't have anything planned?"

"I only plan torturing your adviser, like I said. Tomorrow I want to wake up to you beside me Bonnie and if that weirdo gets in the way of that I'll burn the Archives to the ground," his threat is soft and serious but then he grins at her stricken face. "Don't worry, I won't dish out what the Gemini can't take."

"You promise?"

He makes a cross over his heart. "On my life."

His life, which is also hers and a thousand others. The voice from her vision comes back to her, telling her it's for the best, she has to think of the future. Whatever future that is she cannot live willingly punishing a man for nothing. He has served a long, lonely sentence already. Why condemn him to another? She looks back at Kai, realising he has been waiting for her reply and she nods.

"If it happens, if you disappear, I'll try to get you back. I promise."

* * *

**The Compromise**

The longest day of the year proves to a stunning one, the soft green rolling land basking in the heat, the shimmering Thames snaking away to the west. As they reach another set of gates before the palace a dense crowd waits outside, waving and cheering as they pass. Realising that it is the Gemini leader driving pass they throw roses, which combust into millions of multi-coloured petals which float through the air slowly, a never-ending cascade. Driving through this colourful shower Bonnie laughs in delight, her unease forgotten as the car comes to a stop.

"Come on, time to meet the peasants," Kai grins and Bonnie follows him out of the car, rolling her eyes. The crowd cheer, pressed up against the bars as the petals flutter around them. She spots photographers and hundreds of cell phones and looks at Kai, who is beaming from ear to ear.

"Kiss!" someone shouts and then the crowd start to chant it.

Face heating she looks away, feeling bashful as Kai moves close to her and takes her hand. She looks into his eyes, wondering if he will give into the pressure they had been resisting in the car when he smiles softly and then gently kisses the back of her hand.

The crowd awws and oohs, making Bonnie laugh and duck her face against his shoulder as he brings her against his side. With the flowers fluttering around them it must make for the most saccharine picture imaginable. Caroline would frame it. They turn towards the palace. To say that it reviles Versailles is an understatement. The palace is structured in the same manner, two long wings spread out from another in the middle, but this is four stories high rather than three. Mouth open she stares up and along.

"My god. Mystic Falls could fit in the courtyard."

"Puts that little mansion in Portland to shame right? You know I have the power to kick everyone out? That's what I'm planning to do after midnight, if things go right," he adds, arm still around her back as they walk from the gates. As she gets closer to the grand entrance she watches beautifully dressed witches handing over invites to waiting staff. She's about to say she forgot hers when a tiny old man pops up before them so suddenly he might as well have shot up from the earth. Kai stops and she hears him groan.

"Morris."

"Malachai," the ancient warlock says. He's short and round, peering at them through equally round glasses. He reminds Bonnie of a mole, especially as he squints up at the sun. Morris the mole, Kai's secretory.

"Hi, I'm Bonnie," she says and he blinks, focusing on her, peeved. Kai's assessment that he was senile is not an exaggeration it seems.

"I know," he says and then turns his attention to Kai. Bonnie cocks her brow in affronted bemusement and Kai gives her a long suffering look. Morris clears his throat, apparently forgetting what he is about to say when he snaps his fingers. "Your sister is here. Olivia."

Kai stiffens and she looks at him quickly and is surprised to see a soft smile on his face. "She accepted my invite?"

"Foolish, on your part. She could be planning to harm you," Morris admonishes and Bonnie has to agree.

"No one can kill another witch in there, you know that," Kai says and Bonnie feels another tension drain out of her. For once she will attend a party that will not end in bloodshed. _Only the disappearance of my husband,_ she thinks and then pushes the thought away. Kai is not planning on spending what hours he has getting drunk and pranking his coven, he will be searching for both ascendants with her. However that plan hits a snag.

"Your father is also here."

Kai's hand on her waist tightens painfully. "Thought I felt a dose of paranoia this morning. Has he locked himself in a room yet?" his father is no longer coven leader but Bonnie assumes spending so long being careful with his own life must be a hard habit to break.

"He's waiting for you in your rooms. Alone," he adds, eyeing Bonnie before he simply vanishes before them.

"He takes orders from your father?"

"Does it surprise you? If they actually treated me like the leader I would have been here the whole time, dealing with the ball and other responsibilities. They're probably bummed I turned up," he clenches his jaw and Bonnie rubs his hand still tight on her hip. He lets go with a sorry.

"You suspected your father was behind what happened to my family. He still could be. Don't face him alone," she says and he gazes at her as witches throw surprised glances at them, whispering excitedly.

"I need to. If they don't respect me you can imagine how _he_ feels about me. I'm the coven leader and he needs to accept it."

Bonnie recalls his father calling him an abomination, the cold disappointment in his voice still raw. She can understand why Joshua Parker would hate his son but she knows with a horrible certainty it started long before Kai laid a finger on any of his siblings.

"Well, I'm here," she whispers and he gazes at her, smiling softly but with a slight frown.

"For me?"

"I meant what I said before, if I can I'll get you back. I'm still dealing with what you did and it's gonna take time for it to be like before. I wish it was," she admits and he inhales. "I haven't forgotten Greece, especially the second week, that last night," she whispers and his mouth curls. On the eve of their departure he had coaxed her down to the bonfire on the beach. They had swam and then watched the sun set before she had ridden him naked in the night, the fire flaring wildly and so hot that when they awoke at sunrise they found strange and beautiful glass debris in the sand, forged through the heat of their coupling, their magic.

Kai pulls her in close, ignoring the way people are watching them but Bonnie leans back, dragging her eyes away from his lips. There are hundreds of rooms in the palace and he looks like he wants to take her in every one. She licks her lips, turning to the door.

"When you face your father I'll find Shane, prove if your suspicions are right."

He relents though still looks aroused. "Guessing you don't think so?"

"Why lie? What does he get out of it?"

"That's what I'm hoping you'll find out. Be careful, I used magic on him before, to make him forget our meeting, but if he remembers then he has immunity."

"A talisman?"

"Maybe. Okay, here we go," Kai says as the witches before them enter and Bonnie wonders briefly why Kai has to line up to get into his own palace but then they're shown in and the magic that Kai felt from acres away suddenly overwhelms her.

_I've felt this before._

As primal magic washes over her in waves she recalls her dream, the hedonistic force that flowed freely, witches drunk on it. This power is not that consuming, not yet. It dances lightly around them, not _in_ but she can feel the wild current below it. It is a thing waiting to be used, to be ingested. Kai inhales deeply, breathing heavy.

"It's above us," he whispers, licking his lips and he looks ravenous. Of course he does, he eats magic. This must be like manna to him. "God I can practically see it," he groans, looking up at the vaulted ceiling. Bonnie stares down at the portraits of ancient members of the Parker coven lining the walls before they are escorted along the wide corridor and into a vast tiled foyer, the Gemini sigil created in mosaic in the centre. A grand marble staircase is directly before them, while two huge doorways frame either side of the lobby. One leads to the banqueting hall, the other the ballroom. Witches are shown into the hall and the feast within. One other door is there but closed. The throne room, if she recalls rightly.

"We're at the high table?" she asks and Kai nods, distracted. He brings her to a stop as people crowd around a discrete cloak room and Bonnie unclasps her velvet cloak, which is quiet heavy and thick for the warm weather. She smiles at the server, who notes the Bennett seal pinned on it and her tiara and nods formally at her before disappearing into the room. Sliding her hands down her hips and she turns to Kai, about to ask if they should enter when she freezes.

He gazes at her like all thought of the immense power above, his father and ascendants are gone. His eyes travel along the curves of her body, at the peek of her leg through the slit and then at the naked valley of her breasts. Feeling emboldened she turns slightly, giving him a side view with a coy smile and she hears a very soft and drawn out _fuck_ escape his mouth.

Shy with the adoring and aroused look on his face she fingers the talisman against her chest and he comes to her finally. He hooks his finger around the thin strap of leather and moves the necklace until it is hanging down her back, rather than her front.

"Uninterrupted view," he utters, fingers trailing lightly down her bare skin and she shivers, wondering if that primal magic is starting to seep into her blood. She takes a step back, head cocking to the side. They have to focus or they really will seek out those rooms.

"Go find your dad. I'll save you a seat," she instructs and he blinks, remembering why he is there. He clenches his fists and grins.

"You're dancing with me tonight Bon, I'm not taking no for an answer, not when you look like that…and no one else is touching you," he adds, as if realising this might be a possibility. Bonnie smirks.

"I'll think about it, _if_ you can fight your way free of the Goldilocks brigade," she reminds him as she notices women and men staring appreciatively at Kai. He looks gorgeous. She feels a confusing mix of pride and defensiveness. He is hers. She might approach him like he is made of fire but the statement is true. He is hers.

Noticing finally that they have an audience he does not go for her hand this time but swoops down and steals a kiss from her lips. It is hard, quick and unmistakably possessive. Heart beating fast she imagines what he would do if someone dared asked her to dance and it just makes it hard to breathe. She has no experience of anyone fighting for her but Kai would, he'd start a war.

She pushes him away before anything else can happen and he smiles, inhaling a breath, gripping her hands as if for strength and then leaves her to go confront his father. As soon as he disappears up the marble staircase Bonnie turns and spots Atticus Shane watching her from beside the cloak room. His gaze is appreciative, _very_ appreciative and it startles her more than any crowd of supporters. That she is having this effect is flattering but she never thought he would ever gaze at her in such way, that he was capable of it.

_He has blood flowing through those veins, not ink and sand. He's only human…though married._

She cocks her head and when he realises that he has been caught he smiles in embarrassment, his cheeks actually going red. He leans off the wall and comes to her and she has to admit he looks handsome. Not like Kai but for a librarian he can wear a suit.

"Forgive me? I was looking for you, to warn you about the seating arrangement, but then I kinda lost the ability to think. You look stunning."

Bonnie smiles, looking down at herself and wishes that those words had come from Kai. "Thank you. You also look _stunning_ ," she jokes and he laughs, straightening his tie. She starts frowning, thinking about what he just said. "Warn me about the seating?"

"Ah, yeah. Let's discuss this in private," he says, looking at the witches around them and Bonnie nods, following him across the foyer to the empty ballroom. It's gorgeous and immensely big, the room lined with mirrors. _Like in my dream…_

She wonders how Kai is, he must be face to face with his father now. That the palace hasn't cracked in two is a good sign. He has his target and now she has hers. She turns to Shane as they reach one of the huge windows that shows a stunning view of the deer park below.

"Judging from your face I'm not going to like this am I?"

"No, you're not. The top table is reserved for coven leaders exclusively. As you haven't been officially crowned yet the Gemini haven't reserved you a seat beside Kai."

"But he's my husband," she challenges and he nods.

"I know but they're adamant. They're very particular about their traditions. I tried to convince them but well, they hardly give me the time of day. I don't think they even hire humans to clean their toilets, they're not about to listen to one about rethinking their stupid customs."

"Are they gonna lift my chair up with me in it if I sit down?" she can imagine Kai's reaction to that.

Shane smiles, leaning down. "I'll attach a chain from your chair to the table cloth if they try," he whispers and Bonnie barks out a laugh. Why does Kai find him creepy? They're actually not that dissimilar.

"So as my adviser you're telling me to screw the rules?"

"I'm just a lowly human but that's my officious advice yeah."

She smirks, gazing at him thoughtfully. She remembers what Shane said about having tricks up his sleeve. "I think you're selling yourself short. You know more about witchcraft than most witches. You know how to defend yourself, don't you?"

He regards her closely, not moving and then smiles. "Be kinda foolish if I didn't right? I'd be a sheep amongst wolves otherwise."

She snorts. "And how does this sheep keep the wolves from the door?"

He clearly struggles for a moment, narrowing his eyes in consideration and then in an act that she takes to be trust he lifts his left hand. His thumb touches the gold wedding ring on his finger.

"This ring deflects magic. It rolls around me like water off a duck's back."

"That's how you resisted Kai's magic?" she asks and he nods after a pause and she cocks her head. "Why? He came to you about the whereabouts of his ascendant…did you have to lie?"

Shane looks up and around, clearly conflicted before he focuses on her again. He does himself a disservice comparing himself to a sheep, those big green eyes can be luminously lycanthropic.

"Do you trust me?"

"I want to."

"Just know what I've done has been in your best interest, always."

"What have you done?" she asks, frowning as a tinkling bell sounds. A call for guests to start taking their seats. She moves closer to him as he looks troubled, silent. "You asked if I trust you, well I'm gonna ask you the same thing. Whatever you're hiding you can tell me. I'll protect you if you're worried or scared."

"Even if it concerns Kai?"

"Especially. Tell me," she says seriously and Shane sighs, nodding. He places his hand into his coat and then pulls out a small black velvet bag. He offers it to her and with a ginger touch she takes it. She senses nothing, no magic whatsoever but through the fabric she feels the rim of something circular, something hard.

"The 1994 ascendant," Shane says quietly.

"I can't feel anything," she says, concentrating. The device within is surprisingly light.

"The bag is like my ring," he explains and as she is about to open it he places his hands over hers. "Not here."

Bonnie drops her arms, staring at him. "Jo sent it to you?" he nods after a pause and she looks at him in disappointment. "You've had it all this time? Why didn't you tell me?"

"How could I? You're married to the man who wants to destroy it, who'd kill to do that."

"Why shouldn't he destroy it? It's the key to imprisoning him. Please don't say because it's priceless or some crap."

Shane shakes his head and then reaches for her hands again, the bag swinging from her wrist. "When Jo sent them to me I spent every sleepless moment researching everything I could about these devices. What came up time and again was that if one is destroyed then the world connected to it is destroyed too. It happened before, creating a place of nothing, of oblivion. Researches and seers have said that if more are destroyed it'll weaken the structure of the universe. Envision cracks spider webbing through a mirror. The pieces keep together for a while but with one good knock…"

She shudders to imagine it. "His world is empty."

"It is but all these worlds are like beads on a chain, if a link is damaged or god forbid breaks…" he trails off and Bonnie gets the picture. The worlds would scatter like pearls.

"How do you know this?"

"Ernestine swore me to secrecy. I think she even tried to put a spell on me but well," he holds up his wedding ring and Bonnie's mouth falls open, thinking of the deceptively frail looking former Bennett leader.

"She set you up to this?" she asks and then her stomach plummets. "Please don't tell me that my grams is involved too?"

"I don't know, Ernie kept me in the dark about who else knows. I'm sorry I kept this from you but please believe me it wasn't because I don't trust you, that's not the problem."

"You don't trust Kai," she answers and he says nothing. It's not just Kai, it's the rest of the Gemini. Her council had made their displeasure known, viewing her marriage more akin to a funeral. The rage and betrayal that once forced their covens to war two thousand years ago is still an undercurrent, an ancestral memory. Hadn't she always felt an antagonistic pull towards Kai?

 _Pull, not push_ she reminds herself as she looks down at the bag. Would Kai destroy this and put her family in jeopardy just to assure his safety?

"If they're alive and this is destroyed it could stop us contacting them? Rescuing them?"

"Yes, I think so. It's an exact copy, that has to have some impact. The ripple effects could be catastrophic and any chance rescuing them lost. We don't even know how many other worlds are out there, who might be on them, the number…" he says gently and Bonnie nods, sighing. He smiles suddenly and she cocks her head. "You know I've been thinking about this too much when I worry what might happen to _our_ world."

Bonnie manages a smile. "We're not in a time loop."

"Who knows, maybe we are. The universe slowly expands and contracts," he moves his hands back and forth before sighing. "He knows what the risk is," he says tiredly and Bonnie frowns.

"Does he?"

"Why do you think he started setting fire to my office when he came to see me?"

"You told him something he didn't like," she says, remembering the offhand comments Kai had made weeks ago. He still wants to destroy it, he had told her. She had thought the merge had cancelled out his sociopathy and maybe it has but he would still kill to protect himself and by extension her, even if it hurts.

She places the heel of her hand to her forehead, closing her eyes. "…How do I deactivate the ascendant?"

"…Just remove a piece."

She opens her eyes, feeling drained. "You were gonna let it work it's magic, weren't you?"

"It's nothing personal Bonnie. He – he just posed too much of a threat. Your family, Ernestine…they just wanted to protect you. You know I'm just following orders."

"I thought those were meant to be mine?" she says and he stares at her sadly, nodding.

"I wanted to protect you too. I – I heard what he had done in the past, why he was locked up for so long. I'm sorry for lying."

"You have no idea how much. You know he has a mark on him, a tether that can pull him out from this place?" she shakes the bag gently. "My coven were gonna imprison the one person who might actually get our family out."

"Your coven was going to imprison a man who would kill your family to make sure that doesn't happen to him again," Shane counters softly and she shakes her head, tears in her eyes.

"I need to speak to him, I need to understand. He doesn't know the facts, he can't."

"He does and he doesn't care."

"You don't know him…I'll make him understand."

Shane smiles sadly. "I hope you get through to him where I couldn't…" they fall silent, staring at the dark velvet bag swinging from Bonnie's wrist before Shane looks up with a quizzical expression. "You said he's like a tether?" he asks, stepping back. "What's his anchor?"

At this simple question Bonnie blinks. Of course Kai would have to be bound to something to bring him back, otherwise he'd be stuck the first time he was imprisoned, way back in 1994. Mind whirling she shakes her head, looking up and watches as Shane smiles weakly, moving backwards.

"I'll make sure they haven't moved your seating place again."

Bonnie shrugs. "Let them, I don't care. They're right, I'm not officially in charge of anything or anyone."

He gazes at her with torment before he nods in determination. "I'll find a way to make this up to you. High Priestess."

She says nothing, just nods as he inclines his head deeply, turns and walks out of the ballroom, leaving her and her reflection alone. She hears the second call to dinner but she moves towards a mirror, hardly seeing her appearance. She needs to speak to Kai, right now. Placing her hand against the surface she closes her eyes and concentrates, drawing on the talisman. She feels like her own magic is hidden even deeper now. Her sigh fogs up the glass as images flash and she opens her eyes to see her reflection gone. She expects to see a room but someone's back is obscuring the view. As violins begin to play as the final guests take to their seats she presses her ear to the glass and listens.

"There's talk of civil unrest. For over a thousand years this has been our seat of power but with the leader across the Atlantic for the last hundred years that seat doesn't mean much anymore. Don't go back to Portland," Joshua Parker urges and the back in front of her shifts. She can see Kai's fists clench.

"If you're so worried why don't _you_ stay?"

"It's not my responsibility anymore, it's yours. You killed for this, you waited and schemed for decades and now you're gonna lie in the bed you've made."

Kai laughs. "The bed you left me with. You could have moved back, firmed your position as leader but nope, you stayed in Portland. What was the matter? Too much for you?" he simpers and she jerks back as Kai suddenly bangs against the mirror and he laughs again.

"This isn't about me! The coven has remained intact for millennia and must remain so. You think the Bennett's are going to let you live in peace when they find out you have that?"

"…Your concern is touching but I think I'll be okay," Kai's voice is strained. Bonnie presses herself closer to the mirror, trying to keep her breathing quiet.

"Do not hand it over to her Malachai. In the wrong hands they could destroy us. The power that device contains will protect our coven for another thousand years. You tap into it and every witch linked to you will be more powerful than our enemies."

"What enemies? My wife?" his voice is a growl, cold and sharp. "If your freak paranoia puts her at risk I'll do more than kill you."

Bonnie stops breathing because he means it. She moves back a little, clutching the bag in her hands as Kai moves aside as his father stands beside him. If they look down they will see her.

"…When you sent the proposal to the Bennett witch I thought it was a conquest, nothing more but I see I'm wrong. If you love her then consider what I've said. If by some miracle her family have survived and you get them out then what?"

"I don't know, a Bennett thank you card and a bouquet?"

"Bonnie Bennett is not officially the leader of her coven, not until she partakes in the crowning ceremony. They're waiting to see if Anna or Lucy Bennett are alive before truly leaving their coven the hands of a teacher."

"That teacher can and will do a better job than both of us combined," Kai defends her and a fizzing feeling ignites in her stomach. Gratitude.

"Listen to me. If you want to remain married to her than do not attempt this rescue. If Lucy returns she will be next in line, her claim stronger than Bonnie's, even if she becomes official. She will lose her throne and your marriage will be utterly void."

"…What?" his voice is soft but deadly.

"Leader marries leader, that's the rule. You know this."

There is a heavy silence which is only broken when Kai slams his hand against the mirror. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" he yells, hitting his fist with each curse. His father moves back with a sigh as Kai continues swearing.

"If you do decide to go against my advice and rescue them it'll be for nothing. That world…you know that device was hidden for a reason. If Silas is truly immortal and those… _aberrations_ are still using him for his magic after hundreds of years…" he trails off, inhaling deeply and the disgust in his voice is clear. "You feel how powerful the world is through the ascendant, how powerful _they_ are. They must _never_ be released. You cannot risk your life, those of our coven and the entire world for a group of Bennett witches who are likely dead."

"…Thanks to you."

"We had intell of what they planned to do, either destroying it or using it against us. I was right, they were going to destroy it. I couldn't let that happen, we have searched two thousand years for it. Finding it was your mother's life work," Kai's father reasons sternly. "Like I said I accidentally killed one of the elders but then someone activated it and they vanished. They are dead, they must be. The Bennett's can never know, they will accuse us of assassination and then we would have more than a Gemini civil war to deal with."

Kai moves until he is leaning against the mirror again. He sighs, his hands unclenching. "She'll hate me."

"Only if she finds out. Leave that world alone. Let Bonnie complete the ceremony, make her position official. I have no opposition to your match…but from what I hear she does. You will need heirs soon and there are those who are willing to provide if your wife does not."

"For god's sake," Kai groans. "I'm not talking about this again. It's none of your business or the creepy council's."

"Your offspring is everyone's concern. Stay here, pick one of the district leaders and within nine months our future will hopefully be assured. You don't even have to know her name."

"Nope, not having this conversation," Kai says and he lifts his arms and Bonnie knows he is sticking his fingers in his ears. She wishes she could but she can't move.

"Your wife doesn't want to bear your children. She is putting herself and our entire coven in terrible danger…and so are you. I commend your fidelity Malachai but in this case it's selfish."

"I'm not taking a mistress or a surrogate. I will break the coven link, I don't care what you say it _can_ be done. I won't produce kids. I shouldn't and we both know why," his voice is guttural and shakes.

"…Then you've left me with no other choice," his father replies softly and Kai stiffens, leaning away from the mirror.

"If you activate my ascendant tonight I promise you'll regret it," his voice is dead and cold.

Joshua sighs. "I don't have it, as I've told you repeatedly for months."

Kai narrows his eyes, nodding before he laughs. "You know what? Fuck it. I hope I do go back. See what happens."

Bonnie watches as Joshua moves away and she sees the corner of a sofa and table as he stops at the door. He turns and Bonnie stiffens as his eyes flick to the mirror. He can clearly see her peering in through the glass. He looks back at his son as dread floods her.

"Consider what I've said. You can have strong, stable leadership and the woman you love for three compromises. Keep the Greek ascendant hidden, harness it's power to protect the coven. Move to London, keep our extended family under heel. We _have_ to form closer ties to the European districts before a coupe happens. If you will not take a mistress use a surrogate, you and your wife do not have to see the outcome. I didn't," he says and then adds sadly, "not until I attended their funerals."

His eyes settle on her again, lingering for a moment, before he leaves the room. Kai exhales a long shaky breath and he slides down the mirror onto his hunches. His head lowers, hands fisting his hair and from her position she can hear him groaning in torment.

"…What the fuck do I do?" he whispers to himself and she opens her mouth, wanting the answer to come but no words emerge. She touches the mirror, over his shoulder but he does not turn.

 _His father saw me, he knows I heard everything._ Bonnie leans back, inhaling and looks towards the door. She is a liability, something he will need to cut off. _He killed them, it was him, accident or not. He would be willing to kill me too, to keep it quiet. Is he a siphoner?_

She shakes her head in confusion, reaching for the talisman and grips it tightly in one hand and the velvet bag in the other. The key to her family's freedom is in Kai's hands…and the one to his is in hers. Will he destroy it, endanger her family for the sake of his own freedom? She looks back at the mirror as Kai starts to stand and she quickly breaks the connection, the glass reflecting her strained expression. She is in danger but in this place no witch can kill another. Outside…

"Act normal," she whispers, dropping the talisman and not knowing where else to put it she cloaks the bag and slots it behind the mirror. Standing back she sees the entire wall is made of mirrors so she enchants the glass so the bottom of it is frozen, showing the hem of her dress. She does not want to lose it.

"Bonnie?" A man says and she jumps and sees Shane at the door, beckoning her. "The feast is ready but they're waiting for Kai to begin."

She nods, swallowing and follows her deceptive adviser into the banqueting hall. Hundreds of witches line the tables, which are positioned in a square horseshoe shape. Huge crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling while candles and coven wreathes decorate each table, making the glasses and silverware sparkle. It is beautiful. At the high table coven leaders are chatting amongst themselves as starters appear before them. The chair in the centre is empty but as Bonnie makes her way there she stops when she sees that the chairs beside Kai's are occupied. A beautiful woman in a red dress sits where she should be.

Bonnie turns a tired, heavy lidded look from this to Shane, who winces in apology. "I tried."

"Who is that?"

"Melody Booth-Parker. She's the district leader for the whole of London. Married."

"Wow, makes a difference," she watches the red dressed woman, who judging from the resemblance alone must be the elder sister of Annie, sip from her glass and Bonnie realises that she and others are subtly watching her, to see what she will do. Bonnie swears under her breath and imagines not only setting the bitch on fire but the entire table. Instead she spots an amaranth centre piece and moves forward, taking a seat at the Bennett table which is very close to the top table.

"High Priestess," a bemused voice says beside her and Bonnie recognises Bree Bennett, who she has not seen since the council meeting in Salem. She must be here in Ernestine's stead. Bonnie smiles in greeting, shrugging.

"So what's good?"

"Not a damn thing. You?"

"Oh I'm just _great_ ," she says with extreme joy and after a pause they laugh. The whole thing is ridiculous. The red Goldilocks can have her seat, she'd rather be with her family. She's angry that she's been kept in the dark but they'll support her if she needs help, even if the entire Gemini coven backs them into a corner.

* * *

Five minutes later Joshua Parker and his son walk into the hall together and Bonnie hears sighs of relief. There are a lot of hungry witches waiting to eat, which only commences once the Gemini leader begins. Kai does not look at anyone, his face stern and jaw clenched but when he gets to the top table and does not find his wife he frowns heavily and scans the room. When he spots his sister first he visibly stiffens but Liv, who Bonnie had not noticed is sitting directly across from her, she just sips on her champagne, looking bored. Kai smiles very softly before resuming his search and his eyes land on her instantly. Bonnie smiles, inclining her head at the chair interloper and then gives him a what-you-gonna-do shrug but Kai does not smile. He moves towards the woman in red, who is pretending he is not there until he is beside her.

"No, don't get up, the music hasn't started yet," he says with a dangerously friendly smile as she turns and opens her mouth. Kai nods at the balcony above them, which is set up with instruments. As _Happy Birthday_ begins playing the chair suddenly jerks back from the table and then proceeds to skid sideways at great speed, taking the witch with it. Melody grips on for dear life, platinum hair streaming over her face as it rounds the corner of the table before stopping abruptly next to her sister. The chair tips Melody ungracefully to her feet and then slides back around the table to Kai.

The whole hall does a valiant attempt to pretend that nothing has happened but the Bennett table erupts with laughter but none laugh as loud as Annie Booth-Parker, who pretends to cough into her napkin with tears in her eyes as her older sister waits with a red face for another chair. Bonnie shakes her head, the only one at her table not laughing out loud, though she does smile. Kai comes to her as witches begin to sing happy birthday, looking half amused, half perplexed. He offers his hand and Bonnie looks at Bree, who nods in encouragement, still laughing. Bonnie gets to her feet and places her hand in his as he stops.

"Do they even know whose birthday it is?" she asks.

"They do now."

"And they won't forget," she adds as they sit in their rightful chairs. Careful not to look at the Booth-Parker family Bonnie claps as the witches, more than a little drunk already, stop singing and Kai grins, standing. He lifts a glass and flicks it with his finger, sending a clear note around the room as the applause falls silent.

"Thank you, I'm touched! Now I imagine that most of you don't know me, even my own coven, but you've probably _heard_ of me," he gives a comical wince. "I promise what you've heard is all true but it's in the past, right?" he smiles at his father, who sits beside Liv. He does not move or speak and Kai carries on. "For those who do not know I'm Kai, the new Gemini coven leader and I hope to be here for many years to come. I want to bring our coven back to it's rightful place because I think we've been cloaking ourselves for too long. We're one of the oldest and most powerful covens in the world and I think people have forgotten that. I want to make them remember," he says and is meet with loud cheers and raised glasses. He grins. "I want to thank the different covens who are here for attending, especially the Bennett's. I know things have been tough but I want to say that the Gemini support you. I always will," Kai says but looks deeply at Bonnie, who smiles up at him. "Once we were closer than any two covens could be and I hope to see that again."

"Let's hope so," someone says and Bonnie suspects it's Bree, who is getting drunk. Witches clap at this again and Kai waits for them to fall silent. He is winning them over quickly.

"I know you're waiting to eat and trust me I'm the _last_ person to hold off but I like talking almost as much as eating, sorry," he says to laughs. "This is the best birthday I've ever had. Scratch that, it's like the only one. I always had to share before but well, today is all mine…" his smile fades and he looks at his father again who just stares with a mute expression. Bonnie hopes he is secretly happy about the warm welcome Kai has garnered, excluding the Booth-Parker's who look mutinous. Kai lifts his glass, looking solemn but there is something a little manic in his eye, had been since he entered the room.

"A toast to family who can't be here."

He drinks and looks at the Bennett table, inclining his head and they raise their glasses after a pause and the other covens follow suit. Bonnie forgets, so engrossed in watching Kai as he gulps down the champagne and then sits beside her. He grabs his knife and fork and mimes eating at the guests who laugh with relief and the feast begins.

"…What did Shane tell you?" he asks abruptly as he begins cutting up his starter, not looking at her.

Bonnie looks at her adviser at the Bennett table, who is busy eating. She swallows, heart racing and she shuts her mind like a vault before she thinks about the location of the ascendant she hid in the ballroom. She cannot tell Kai the truth, not until she knows what he plans to do.

"…He admitted that he can deflect magic, he has a magical ring. That's why he could resist your spell."

Kai nods, still cutting up his food. "Anything else?"

"My turn," she answers briskly, eating some grilled chicken. "What did your father say?"

"What he's always said, he doesn't have what I want…but he did have what _you_ need," he whispers, looking at her directly and Bonnie freezes, gazing at his face. The suspicion that Kai would lie to her suddenly catches on fire with shame. He is not hiding the truth from her, why would he? He trusts her. His speech was heartfelt she realises, not just played for political favour.

"…We need to talk in private," she says. Not even speaking mind to mind works, not in a room full of witches. It would be like an open line. She looks briefly at Kai's father who is talking to Liv. He would kill her if it meant that his involvement in the fate of her family was revealed. Only she and Kai know the truth.

"Okay. Before the ball we'll slip away."

Bonnie nods, tearing her gaze away from Joshua who looks at her directly for a moment. She looks down at her plate. "…Are you sure no witch can harm another in this building?"

"Or the grounds," he says and then clarifies. "Well no witch can _kill_ another witch here but we can hurt each other, but you won't die. Why?" he chews on his food, staring at her intensely as she shrugs and picks up her glass.

"It - it's something I need to be sure of," she says, staring at him significantly over the rim of her glass before she drinks. Kai goes utterly still and that manic look in his eyes blazes.

"I won't let anything happen to you."

"I can defend myself, I've still got the talisman," she says, feeling it's strange comforting weight hanging down her bare back but Kai shakes his head.

"You shouldn't have to. Has someone threatened you?" he asks and his eyes snap to Shane, who is talking and oblivious to the murderous look now directed at him. Bonnie shakes her head quickly and takes Kai's hand. She lowers her voice even more.

"No, he's harmless. A liar but not someone who wants me dead. We can't talk about this here but – but I think if I'm surrounded by people it'll be okay," she says, squeezing his fingers and he stares at her deeply, the heat in his gaze constant.

"Don't leave my side."

"…I won't," she whispers and after a deep, soul searching gaze they look away and resume eating.

* * *

**The Anchor**

As people finish their deserts and drift into the ballroom or the gardens Kai takes Bonnie by the hand and leads her up the marble staircase and into the room that she saw through the mirror. Huge windows lead onto a balcony that has a stunning view of the grounds and a long, narrow lake.

"Is it in here?" she asks as Kai casts more protection charms around the room, stopping anyone from eavesdropping as she had done before. He taps his chest and Bonnie moves forward, holding her breath and then places her hand on his coat. She had felt the effect of the relic from below but now it's muted.

"Put a dampening spell on it but it's too powerful, it won't last for long."

"Your father had it the whole time?"

Kai hesitates before speaking. "He kept it in a vault in the Armoury, didn't tell them what it was. I went there previously but never found anything."

Bonnie nods, remembering the glimpses of him at the magical arsenal. She takes a seat on a couch with a view of the grounds but Kai remains standing. In fact he cannot keep still, his hands drifting towards the device in his coat before he stuffs them into his pockets.

"…What do you plan to do with it?" her question is light and his roving eyes fix on her. "The key to finding my family is in your hands."

"I know…but it's not my choice," he says and then sits beside her. "You know that they could be dead right? They could have been the moment the ascendant was activated. It's been months and according to my father the place they're in…it's dangerous."

"I know it's possible but there are mothers and husbands and children who don't know. Even if they are dead their families deserve closure. I have to know Kai," she whispers, leaning closer to him and he nods, looking at the lake.

"…I'll cross over…but on two conditions," he says and Bonnie straightens, thinking of the compromises his father had laid out.

"What?"

"You stay here and if I return I keep this," he touches his chest and she stares before looking worriedly into his eyes.

"If you return? I said I'd bring you back."

"Yeah, from 1994. This is a completely different world. If it's like mine it might just repeatedly loop, likely a 2,000 year old day. My mom gave me the brand in the hopes that she could pull me back out but the burn is from a piece from my ascendant, not this."

"But yours is an exact copy right?" she asks and he nods. "Maybe it'll be okay…or if you know the spell just make a new tether using the Greek ascendant," she reasons, the idea forming. He stills, eyes narrowing before he shakes his head.

"No, I know what you're thinking. If you brand yourself you'll be forever tied to that world. You don't know what could happen."

"You can be my anchor," she says, growing passionate and Kai becomes quiet, cocking his head.

"But you're mine," he says softly and Bonnie opens her mouth but no words come out. Kai smiles and takes her hands and she looks down as his thumb brushes the gold ring he had given her in the car. "Jo was always the thing I came back to but when she died the connection was lost. If I don't have a living anchor I'm never coming back."

"Okay, then we'll be each other's," she says, reaching for his coat but he leans back and takes her hands.

"Press pause Bon. Okay, first why do you think someone wants to kill you?" he asks and Bonnie hesitates, her fingers gripping his.

"…I know your father killed a Bennett. He sent them through the ascendant," she says and he stares at her unblinking, like he is trying to read her mind. Finally he narrows his eyes again.

"My father won't get within a hundred feet of you, understand? He swears he didn't activate it, someone else did. Why do you think he killed one of them?"

"I was watching," she finally admits and points at the mirror across the room. Kai laughs, looking back.

"Sneaky. That's meant to be impossible."

"Her talisman packs some punch," Bonnie says, smiling and then grows serious. "I was watching because I had something to tell you, to ask you."

"What?"

"…If you had your ascendant would you destroy it?"

"First chance I could," he answers and Bonnie nods, looking away. He frowns and touches her cheek, making her turn to him. "What?"

"Shane told me that if you destroy an ascendant it not only destroys the world attached to it but all other worlds start dying as a consequence."

Kai scowls in disbelief. "That's bullshit. Destroying the 1994 ascendant might do something to that world but the others? How can anyone know?"

"He says it happened before and it created a place of nothing, of oblivion."

"Again how does he know?" he asks again slowly and Bonnie grows angry, though his question is fair. How does Shane know this? He mentioned seers but who? Even with these questions she feels her precaution is justified. You don't meddle with powerful magic without some serious repercussions.

"I think it makes sense to be worried so don't talk to me like I'm stupid," she bites back and he offers his palms. Bonnie inhales, calming herself. "The worlds are created through the ascendant right? I mean those worlds weren't already there? They were exact copies of the world at the time."

"Yeah."

"So the ascendant is like the binding agent for those worlds or anchor. You destroy one…"

"And those worlds drift through time and space…" he muses, his incredulous expression fading a little. "Okay so destroying them might be dangerous but no one but me inhabits that world. So what if it spins across the universe like a marble never to be seen again?"

"It could have repercussions. Not just on other worlds but maybe on you. Just hold off on setting fire to things okay? We – we can separate the pieces, keep them locked up in different countries." As she speaks, thinking of ways to dismantle the device, Kai is quiet and very still, watching her face but it appears he is not listening to her. When she catches his burning gaze her words dry up.

"…You're speaking like you have it," he says quietly and Bonnie licks her lips.

"I need your word."

"Where is it?"

"I need your word that you won't harm Atticus," she says firmly as Kai scoffs and gets to his feet, heading for the door.

"I knew it," he shakes his head, jaw and fists clenching. Bonnie grabs his arm, stopping him.

"He's been acting on orders, not mine. A Bennett elder told him to keep it from you _and_ me, in case you destroyed it. They believe him about the danger and so do I. I'll tell you where it is but please, please just promise me you won't do anything rash? It's not much I'm asking for, your father killed a Bennett!"

"Accidentally. He used a spell to drain their magic, stop them from destroying it. Weirdly I think he'd be honest if he straight up murdered someone…" Kai rubs his hand over his face, smiling tiredly. His arms slumps to his sides and he gazes at her. "I can't live knowing that it's still out there, that I could go back at any time. You know how many times I thought I was stuck there for good? Now I'm out that fear hasn't gone. If it happens tonight I don't think I'm ever getting out, especially now that I'm leader. It's in the council's best interest to keep me alive but out of the way. If you're the only one standing between them achieving that? They'll quietly take you out and no one would suspect. I'll take them all down with me before I let that happen."

"…Kai," she whispers, her stomach twisting in fear and pain and then he is gathering her up in his arms. She gazes deeply into his eyes, emotional. "I can't imagine what it was like but this time you have someone who will fight for you. Do you understand? I won't abandon you."

At her quiet but fierce words a childlike awe gleams in his eyes, like someone seeing the sun for the first time. Intense, beautiful but very vulnerable. Bonnie smiles and then he kisses her. His complete devotion to her has been deep and constant, especially in the short time they've known each other, but this emergence within her has only been freed with the realisation that he will be taken away. Even now she does not know if she loves that he loves her or if she is just scared to jump in deeper. _This needs time and it might not be time we have but I want to fight for it, I have to. A chance, don't I deserve that? Don't we both?_

They pull away for air, clutching at each other tightly. Below violins begin to warm up and they can see witches in the gardens drifting back to the ballroom. Kai cups the back of her neck.

"You really think my dad is after you?"

"He caught me. _You_ know what he did but he can't kill you because of the coven but me? You're right, I think if I had an accident he'd sleep better at night."

"Nothing will happen to you, I promise. He knows what I'd do to him if he tried…and he also knows what your coven would do if they find out. There'd be war."

Bonnie shakes her head. "If my coven finds out he killed one of us? Accidentally or not we wouldn't cause bloodshed but we'd want justice. I want justice," she says firmly and Kai looks like he wants to agree but conflict keeps him silent. Bonnie frowns. "What?"

"If he's implicated he won't take it lying down and neither will the coven. You might not want a war but the Gemini? If it's between me and you then he's going to go after you."

"So I just keep my mouth shut? I'm not frightened of him," she argues and Kai smiles. "Will you help me?"

His proud smile fades and he looks even more troubled. "I'm the coven leader, I can't publicly accuse him, not with the council barely recognising me. If I turn on him and by extension them then it's a one way trip to 1994," he says and then tugs her back when she shakes her head, mouth down turning. "I didn't say no. Of course I have your back but we have to be smart about this Bon. _We_ can handle this."

"…Deal with him ourselves?"

Kai nods. "But he can't suspect otherwise we'll never touch him. The council probably knows what he did and wants to keep it quiet. He was the one to encourage me to send the proposal," he says abruptly and Bonnie blinks. "He probably wanted an insider to find out what you knew or suspected."

"Well you know that's why I agreed to marry you. I guess neither envisioned us working together," Bonnie says and they share a smile as the band finishes warming up and the Gemini anthem begins playing.

"That's my cue."

Bonnie nods, inhaling. "Your ascendant is in the ballroom," she says and details what mirror it is behind. Kai nods and all the tension drains from him and he laughs, hugging her again a she speaks. "I'll dismantle it."

Kai shakes his head. "The pieces are like magnets, they're drawn to each other, even over miles. I tried to separate it before, when I was out, but it never worked."

"We can try, we only need a few hours. It's going to be okay Kai, you're not going anywhere," she says confidently, kissing him and he smiles, taking her hand and leads her out of the room and to the ballroom below.

* * *

Witches line up in two long rows, facing each other as a small orchestra in the corner begins to play, a piano accompanied by a single violin. Kai smiles at Bonnie as he lets go of her hand and walks to the end of the line and faces Annie Booth-Parker, who grins cheerfully. Bonnie smiles at her partner, who is a Claire witch who she had never met before. The dancers will exchange, twirling around each other before joining with their intended and leaving the floor. She and Kai should be the last couple. She loves this dance, reminding her of Jane Austen. Except she's apparently the heroine who gets Wickham, not Darcy.

 _Am I finally going give him that dance?_ she thinks and Kai looks at her from down the hall.

 _Yes you are. Look how many I have to get through to get to you,_ his voice whines in her head and she smiles, curtsying as her partner bows and the dance begins. Bonnie moves forward and backwards, mirroring her partner before she is twirled around, stepping back and forth again before she faces another partner. Her eyebrows shoot up in recognition.

"Luka?"

"Hi," the Martin witch smiles, taking her hand as they step closer and turn in a circle. "Been a long time huh?"

"Are you here on your dad's behalf?"

He nods. "Greta was next in line but well…" he shrugs and smiles but it does not reach his eyes. In fact he looks miserable. Bonnie's chest tightens.

"I saw her. She - she's okay. I know you probably don't want to hear this but I think she's happy where she is," Bonnie says softly and he snorts.

"Oh I know, she's been fascinated with vampires since we were kids, especially the Originals. My dad just doesn't want to accept it," he moves across from her, shaking his head. "I wish she would just talk to me."

"You miss her?"

"She's my twin, of course I do," he says and Bonnie nods, remembering. She has no siblings but she grew up with friends who felt to her, once upon a time, as close as sisters. She clutches Luka's hand before they separate.

"There's a place she likes to go, you might see her there but be careful, she won't be alone," Bonnie says and gives him the address to the fish and chip shop she had eaten in.

"You know I used to dream that this would happen with you but now that I'm gonna take over from my dad I kinda wish I had just stayed in the library," Luka admits and Bonnie smiles, looking down.

"I know how you feel. Good luck Luka, with everything," she says sincerely and Luka smiles and kisses her cheek before they exchange partners. Bonnie looks down the hall. There are a dozen more witches to dance with. She almost bursts out laughing when she realises that Kai has clearly cut through half, leaving surly and disappointed witches in his wake. However her smile dries up when she realises that he is now facing his sister Liv. He stares at her, arms awkwardly at his sides and she cocks her head at him, rolls her eyes and then roughly grabs his hand when he doesn't move.

"Let's hope they don't crack _this_ ceiling open," a man says and Bonnie sees Joshua Parker before her. Icy fear dumps into her stomach and spreads through her limbs, making it hard to move. He smiles gently, offering his hand and breaking her paralyses stiffly she lifts her arm and they begin to dance.

"You're scared," he comments quietly and Bonnie narrows her eyes.

"Of what?"

"We both know I saw you, so let's drop the act. You have nothing to fear from me, I do not wish to cause any upheavals."

"I bet you don't. I heard what you said, what you did. Maybe I'm not the one who should be afraid," she whispers and he nods, still looking composed.

"I do not wish for our community to become any more divided and if this comes out…It would be catastrophic. You have no reason to believe me but it was an accident. I had no part in their disappearance…but I do want to help, if I can."

Bonnie snorts, looking for Kai but he is talking to his sister, distracted. "Sure you do."

"Why would I give Malachai the key if not to help? Despite my warning he will use it to find them."

"He thinks they're dead."

"They likely are but he will go and risk all for you. That place is filled with creatures that can never be released. They are there for a reason and if they were freed nature would become unbalanced. You know what happens if that transpires," he says and Bonnie shudders. Nature finds ways to correct itself, if it finds imbalances it creates something else to correct it. Whatever those monsters are if they are brought into this world they would then face something even worse.

"What are they?"

"Abominations. They have evolved over the years, become more monstrous and powerful. They – they appear innocent but they are not. The seers, who are the only witches who have a link with these other worlds, call them Heretics."

Bonnie nods, wishing that she could talk to these seers. "I don't want to put anyone in danger…but not knowing, it's hard to live with," she whispers and Joshua smiles softly, almost fatherly and suddenly Bonnie misses her own father desperately. Her mother is an unknown thing, unreachable but her dad is still there, though she has acted as if he is not. Guilt squirms in her stomach, thinking of the humans in her life she has ignored for so long and she knows with a sure weight that she does not want leadership. She wants her old life back. She fights back tears, throat tight.

"I know it's hard but somethings we cannot know, no matter how much we want to. My son will go into that hell for you, putting us all in jeopardy."

"Then why give it to him?" she frowns, realising that they should have exchanged partners some time ago. Kai is still with Liv.

Josh hesitates. "…To get the measure of him. He has always been charming, ambitious, deeply intelligent and cunning, all traits of a good leader but he cared for no one but himself. That's changed…but it's not enough. When you become Gemini coven leader you cannot let your heart be ruled by one thing, you have to be bigger than that. You become a parent to thousands," he says with some feeling and Bonnie is surprised. She had imagined him being a soulless cooperate CEO, delegating orders, praise and punishment to a vast and faceless horde. She pictures being one person within a multitude, scrabbling for that attention and getting scraps. Kai knows what that is like and he has no desire to emulate it. His love might be focused exclusively but she knows with a horrible feeling that if he did try to extend it to the coven he would have nothing left…and neither will she. They'd be as hollow as the man before her.

"He's only human, there's only so much you can give of yourself," she reasons and Josh tilts his head. They have stopped dancing.

"He's a witch, we're not human. He has a heavy duty and now it is his exclusively. You can help him with that burden or you can continue to ignore your part in this family. You are a Parker now but if it's too much there are others who are willing to carry and bear the name for you," he says and giving her a curt nod he leaves her alone on the floor.

Bonnie stares at her reflection in the mirror, hardy noticing other witches watching from the side lines. Joshua Parker had threatened Kai, saying that he had left him with no other choice, but that threat had also been directed at her. She does not want to bear any children, not if they are raised for slaughter, but maybe the Gemini have others ideas that go beyond mistresses.

 _God, what if they've done something to me?_ she worries and looks at the shifting reflections, searching for Kai but people are now crowding the floor, the formal dance over. _We never danced,_ she thinks sadly and turns, looking for Kai but someone takes her arm gently.

"Atticus?"

"Are you okay? What did he say?"

"I – I'm not sure. Where's Kai?"

"He took his sister outside," he says and Bonnie makes for the wall, her adviser following. Making sure she is not being watched she slips her hand behind the mirror but the plush velvet she expects to feel is gone. Seeing her wide eyes Shane stiffens. "What?"

"It's gone! Kai's ascendant," she clutches the talisman as the band begins playing again, a drum beating out a lively tune. Bonnie struggles through the dancers, who laugh drunkenly and something in Bonnie's stomach squeezes.

 _My dream, this is like my dream. He's gone, I'm too late._ Trying to stay calm she forces her way out of the ballroom and onto the patio, which has a beautiful view of the grounds as the sun begins setting.

"Kai?" she yells and then she screams it into her mind and after an anxious pause she feels him respond.

_What? Are you okay?_

_I couldn't find you,_ she thinks with relief but it prickles with anger.

_I'm talking to Liv, we're in the maze. Stay where you are, I'll come find you._

_You said to stick together._

_…I'm sorry. Liv hasn't spoken to me for years. I had to talk to her, show her that I'm different…she has my ascendant._

_…And?_

_I'm still here yay…please don't kill me for being a good brother._

Bonnie laughs, shaking her head and leans against the wall before turning to Shane. "He's coming, he has it."

Shane smiles fleetingly. "So he's not going to destroy it?"

"No. I'm going to keep it safe…but I think we have to accept that the others are lost," she breaks to him softly, touching the back of his hand. For just a moment anger flares across his face, his eyes wide and fixed on hers and she grips his hand. "I'm sorry, I know your wife - "

"Could still be alive."

"I know but the risks are too great. Kai might never come back and – and I can't risk his life."

"Because he's linked too so many?"

"…Because he's my husband," she answers and a swell of feeling rises up from within. Protectiveness.

"I know his life is literally worth thousands but what if…" he trails off, eyes intense and conflicted.

"What?"

"What if it was still worth the risk? What if that world and those people on it aren't our enemy?"

She shakes her head. "It's too dangerous Atticus. If they're our friends why haven't they contacted us or sent our family back? That world is not meant to be opened. You even said it yourself, if Silas is there it's a prison."

His jaw clenches and he looks at their joined hands. "I want my family back, it's the only thing keeping me going, do you understand? I'd die to have them back," he answers gutturally and seeing tears in his eyes Bonnie draws him into her arms, his pain overwhelming her.

"I'm so sorry. If there was something I could do…"

"There is," Shane says, leaning back but with his arms still around her. "Kai, he has the Greek ascendant, doesn't he?"

Bonnie nods after hesitating. "But he can't go, he - "

"I know, I know. I'm not talking about him. I'll go," he says, gazing at her intensely and Bonnie stares at him open mouthed.

"You? But you have no magic."

"Without that neither do you…but that isn't going to stop you," he counters, tapping the talisman against her chest. "I think I have a good picture of you Bonnie Bennett, just from what I've heard from Sheila. You'll stop Kai from going, you'll stop me but not yourself…you think your life is worth the risk."

Bonnie opens her mouth and then shuts it, her face growing hot. She had been thinking about going, using a piece of the Greek ascendant to create a tether. She feigns denial but Shane smiles.

"You'll need someone to pull you back, that can't happen if you don't tell someone you've gone."

"Well, now you do. That's one person," she says.

"Two," Kai says angrily and she turns sharply to see him and Liv watching her. His curly haired sister smiles and holds up three fingers.

"Trios. You're not really gonna bungee jump into the nether sphere are you?" she asks but Bonnie focuses on Kai, who is furious. His eyes travel down and she realises that Shane is still holding her. They break apart but Kai still looks bitter.

 _Is he jealous of Shane?_ She almost laughs the idea is so ridiculous but the hurt behind that anger makes her sober up. She moves to him, touching his arm with a hesitant hand.

"I have to do something," she whispers and Kai laughs.

"No you don't. Indiana Jones just volunteered. Dude what piece do you want to get branded with? I'll let you pick. I never got the option, just woke up as a kid and whoop there it is," he stares at Shane with a manic intensity and is meet with an equally intense gaze, stone to Kai's fire.

"No one is branding anyone," Bonnie says but Shane starts to smile, nodding at Kai before looking at Liv.

"Do you have any objections?"

"It's your funeral…Hmm, a human is going in the place of your wife. Kinda romantic," she says, smiling sweetly and Kai scowls at her and so does Bonnie.

"No one is doing this for me, it's not a competition. He – he wants to see if his wife is alive."

" _Does he_?" Kai asks with a smile, hands in his pockets and Bonnie feels a sudden wave of power wash over her. The Greek ascendant is in his hand. "Thing is I did my research before I set foot in your office Atti."

"And set fire to it," Shane adds dryly and Kai waves a dismissive hand.

"You work in the most flame resistant place on the planet."

"You were using St Elmo's fire."

"Kai!" Bonnie yells and he shrugs nonchalantly. That deadly magical fire once spread through an ancient library in Rome, destroying priceless manuscripts and artefacts. The fire burned for years.

"Let's just move past that okay, it's getting boring," he says, taking his hands out his pockets for a moment. "I don't think your adviser is all that bothered about his second wife. His first wife however…"

"Of course I care about Caitlin. What does this have to do with my first wife? She died years ago in an accident, along with my son," Shane says quietly, his hands shaking.

"I know and I'm sorry," Kai says and for a moment he means it but then he smiles politely again, which is not comforting at all. "Your first wife was once a Gemini witch, excommunicated for practising dark magic. She kept this secret from you, right? But then after she died you found out what she was."

"…How do you know this?" Shane asks and Kai just shrugs. Bonnie looks at Shane, taking his hand to draw his attention. He stares down at her, seeing only her. "She was a witch, he's right but I had no idea. After her death I found her grimoire and other things. She practised a type of magic that was frowned upon, magic that Silas and Qetsiyah practised. She wanted to find the ascendant, to free Silas and learn his secrets. She was obsessed and at first I thought what she wrote was crazy…but she wasn't, she wasn't."

"What secrets?" Bonnie asks but Kai answers.

"Immortality, time travel and other fun stuff. There's a sect within the Gemini that worship Silas, who searched for centuries for the key to his prison…my mother was one of them," Kai adds and Liv looks shocked. "She was the first one to successfully create a tether from the ascendant and attach it to a living anchor. Remember the hole on the island?" he asks Bonnie suddenly and she nods. "I said they used to push witches like me down there but then they got the bright idea to tie ropes around those kids, cause they were small and disposable. They never came back."

"But you did," Shane says, stepping forward but Kai looks ready to pounce. Bonnie moves between them. Shane stops at her back and speaks. "I just want to try. If I find our family I can bring them back."

"Along with the secret to immortality?" Bonnie asks incredulously but Shane shakes his hand and turns her around to him.

"I don't care about that or the cure, though I think there are some vampires who might," he adds but continues before she can ask more. "I've spent years of my life searching for a way to speak to my wife and son again."

"Ouija board? I'm a total pro, ask Liv."

"Shut up Kai," Bonnie and his sister say simultaneously and he smiles thinly, looking aside.

Bonnie looks at Shane with a gentle sadness. "No one can bring back the dead."

"I know, that's why the immortality potion is useless to me…but your ancestors achieved feats of magic that no one has accomplished since. If Silas is alive then he has answers."

"Or he has none, cause those little monsters have juiced him," Kai says darkly.

"Or you'll be too dead to ask," Liv adds and then winces. "Sorry."

"I know you're all right but I'm willing to take those risks. Hey, I'm Indiana Jones right? I don't just sit behind a desk you know," he smiles at Bonnie, who shakes her head sadly.

"No, you also happen to be the personal adviser to a coven leader. One day even officially," she jokes and he smiles.

"Gonna order me not to go?"

"You'd just resign," she smiles but he shakes his head.

"I like my job and I need the money," he whispers, leaning closer and she laughs. She spots Kai clenching his jaw and ignores him but she can feel the thump in his head. He would send Atticus to the moon if it meant he was away from her.

"You're coming back, I promise. Can I have your ring?" she asks and he looks down at his hand but instead pulls a chain from around his neck, where another gold ring hangs, smaller. "Your wife's?" He nods and after kissing it Shane hands it over.

"You're going to make it my anchor?" Shane asks as Kai comes to Bonnie's side.

"Yes. This one is Kai's," she lifts her left hand and is about to put the other ring on her right hand when she looks at Kai and stops. It's just a ring, she thinks but knows that it is more than that. She puts it on and she will have the freedom of two men literally in her hands. But one is just an anchor, the other means more.

"…I'll do the spell. I need your blood," Kai says to Shane suddenly, breaking the tense silence and Bonnie smiles gently and with the ring in the palm of her hand he chants and the metal glows as a drop of Shane's blood falls onto the ring, collecting in her palm. He folds his pocket knife away, sucking on his thumb. Bonnie looks at the ring, which cools and then offers it to Kai who blinks rapidly.

"What?"

"I'm your anchor, I don't think I can hold another. I'm only small," she adds and he smirks, taking the ring. He gazes at Shane, who does not look pleased but Bonnie doesn't care. They have to play nice because she wants both of these men in her life. Sighing, Kai slips the ring on his little finger and then takes Bonnie's hand.

"How will we know if you need to be brought back?" Liv asks, who has been watching this unfold in silence.

Shane tugs on an invisible rope. "Guess that doesn't work?"

"I'll feel it through the ring. Jo said she could sense my uh, my emotions through it. Trust me, I'll know when you wanna come back, unless I lose it, it's kinda loose," Kai adds with a happy smile but his eyes are empty. Bonnie squeezes his hand, giving him a warning look as Kai brings out the Greek ascendant.

"God, I can feel it," she whispers, reaching for it but draws her hand back. The magic pooling around the device swells in ripples, growing bigger and deeper. The dampening spell Kai put on it is practically gone, as if the device has eaten it.

 _Like Kai…_ she thinks but pushes the thought away when he lifts a small wheel off the metal relic, which has a slight patina but seeing as it has spent centuries under the waves it is in very good condition. She looks at Kai, who is whispering under his breath and the tiny wheel floats up in the air and glows white hot. Shane pulls his sleeve up, offering his forearm and with a hiss the burning wheel touches his skin. Bonnie winces as her adviser grits his teeth but keeps silent. Kai does not smile but there is something in his gaze that frightens her. He cares nothing for the pain he is inflicting because he cares nothing for the man. Maybe she should take the anchor ring back?

"That's enough," she says and Kai blinks, the wheel floating up to slot back into the device. Bonnie takes Shane's hand and clutching the talisman she heals the burn, which is raw and very painful looking. He sighs, relaxing at the wound closes but the scar will be there for life. She smiles at the look on his face. He is scared but brave.

"Okay, so you ready to go bungee jumping?" Kai asks, making Liv smirk.

"Oh, well I was thinking about getting supplies first," Shane says sensibly and Bonnie nods.

"Nah, just MacGyver it. I mean you're already going to a world that feels like the nexus point for all magic in the universe with no magic. You'll be fine," Kai claps his back.

"Maybe not being a witch will be an advantage," Shane reasons as Kai and Liv look incredulous. "Everyone who has ever attempted to cross over had magic, even siphoners. Maybe that's what stopped them from getting back. You said it feels saturated with magic?"

"It's practically oozing out of it," Kai says and he looks at the device with relish.

"Your coven and the Bennett's fear it, without knowing what is really contains but we do know that it's overly gauged with magic, like it eats it. Maybe not a good idea for a witch to take a day trip," Shane argues and Kai nods before catching himself.

Bonnie frowns at the ascendant. "So you think the world is like a magical sponge?"

"Or the people on it."

"A world full of Kai's? Maybe you should go big brother, you'd be king of the douches," Liv says and Bonnie can't help laugh at her crude joke. Kai gives his sister a withering look.

"Ha. Ha. Nice double entendre."

Bonnie fiddles with the leather strap, focusing on Shane. "I was gonna give you the talisman back but do you really think you'll be safer without magic?" Bonnie asks worriedly and Shane nods.

"I'll be okay. Keep it, technically I never told anyone that I found the talisman so no one is gonna miss it," Shane admits and ignoring Kai he leans close and stares into her eyes. "I'm coming back and I can't wait to tell you what I saw."

"You better otherwise I'll have to start advertising for a replacement, sorry," she winces comically and also ignoring Kai she hugs Shane but gives her husband a wide, fake smile over his shoulder. As Kai glowers Shane whispers something into her ear and Bonnie inhales sharply and stares at her adviser in shock as he nods and taps the talisman. Kai looks at the two in annoyance and taking Bonnie's hand he pulls her to him.

"Okay good but stupid deed over. Can I please dance with my wife now?"

"Oh, you wanted to dance?" Bonnie asks, covering her surprise quickly, as Shane and Liv walk back into the ballroom together, leaving them on the patio alone. "Cause the only Parker I recall dancing with was your father."

The flirtatious look on his face falls and he stiffens. "What?"

"He was nice, in a scary way. I think he threatened me, it was hard to tell."

"He's good at that. What happened?" Kai leads her down some stone steps and into the garden where they find a bench in a secluded nook. Bonnie tells him what his father said but when it comes to his final threat she pauses.

"He knows I don't want kids, not currently with the way things are. If the link was broken then maybe…" she says, half to herself but the soft smile growing on Kai's face makes her focus. "What?"

"You do want to have kids with me?"

"Hypothetically," she deadpans and he laughs.

"Well in that spirit even if the link was broken I…well I don't think I'd be much of a dad. It's weird, I need kids now because of the link but if there were no clause I wouldn't. I know I said in the car I can only imagine having a family with you but that's the non fucked version of me. You got this guy," he says, pointing at his face and Bonnie gazes at him sadly.

"You're punishing yourself."

"I'm sparing these hypothetical kids years' worth of therapy," he joke but grows serious. "I can't do it, I'm sorry."

Bonnie nods and even though she said the exact thing earlier it still hurts. "…You think your father or your coven will just agree with you?"

"Of course not. They'll keep pestering me. However, if I'm still linked years down the road and no offspring then I'll have to use a surrogate. I don't want to but if it means I keep you and the rest of my coven alive then I will. But I won't raise them."

Bonnie grits her teeth and looks away. They have both been abandoned as children so he knows how much it hurts. He thinks he is saving his possible children from torment but what if this life he is imagining is just that, a fantasy? She could never give up any child she may have with Kai…and the Gemini know that.

"Your father said if I won't carry your child then there are plenty who would. You said I'm not pregnant but – but I was _so_ sure I was. You hesitated in the car," she recalls and the jittery, sad look appears on his face again.

"You're not...but maybe you were?" he admits, taking her hands. "I really don't know, it's hard to tell, I've never delved someone like that before. I didn't want to upset you," he says after seeing the harsh look on her face but she shakes her head.

"I'm not angry at you. You heard your dad. What if I _was_ pregnant and your coven did something to me?"

"…Are you talking about a uteri transfer? It's illegal without consent."

"Would that stop your coven?" she asks, getting to her feet as Kai shakes his head. She paces before him, throwing dark looks back at the palace. Forget the high table, she'll burn the place down around their ears if her suspicions are right.

"Bon…stop," he urges, standing and taking her arms in his hands. "Listen I could be wrong and we're just jumping to conclusions. If they did a transfer you'd know it. That spell requires a lot of magic, rare herbs and a circle of witches. If my coven starts easing off on me about producing heirs then something is up but until then..." he shrugs and Bonnie nods tiredly.

"I know. I just feel weird, the idea is in my head like a gross spore," she grimaces and he leans forward and kisses her forehead.

"Come on, let's go watch the sun and eat some birthday cake," he whispers and taking her hand he leads her through the garden, climbing high until they have a view of the Thames and the setting sun. They sit in the grass, surrounded by a grove of trees. Bonnie sits between his legs, resting against his chest as he kisses her neck.

"Won't they wonder where you are?" she asks, feeling a lot calmer.

"Hopefully but I think the Booth's want to murder me so..." he laughs and she feels his teeth grazing her throat, his hands cupping her breasts. She tilts her head back and he leaves a trail of kisses along her skin before his lips brush her ear. "What did he whisper to you earlier?" he asks and Bonnie opens her eyes.

"…He said that the talisman I'm wearing is probably the binding agent for the curse. If I destroy it…"

"No one is forced to marry again," Kai finishes for her and she cannot see his expression but the hands now around her knees clench. If it was destroyed then witches could be free to leave each other with no supernatural repercussion. She could leave him…

"It's just a theory," she says, lacing her fingers through his and he grips tightly.

"Is your magic back yet?"

Bonnie shakes her head. "No. So for now I need the talisman and it's stronger than my own magic. It's not as powerful as the ascendant in your pocket but it's nothing to throw away," she says, thinking of her dream and Kai makes a noise of hunger and draws the device out and places it in Bonnie's hands and then cups them with his own.

"Feel it?"

"Hmm, a little but not as strong as before," she comments and then groans when Kai settles his fingertips against the device and siphons its magic. Through the link she feels magic flow into her and knows that the witches in the ballroom are feeling the effects too. Aroused and drunk on strange magic she turns on her knees and Kai captures her lips roughly, one hand pressing the device against her chest while the other slides up her leg to graze the apex of her thighs.

Bonnie groans into his mouth as he rubs and she tries to stand. "Not here."

"Everywhere…but first I'm getting that damn dance," he murmurs between kisses, holding her tightly so her chest is pressed to his. They teleport through the garden, laughing as the magic and lust spread through their bodies, the hedonistic energy seeping from them. Kai slides his hands down her back to grip her ass and she can feel how much he wants her. They enter the ballroom and the old ascendant caught between their bodies shifts and comes into direct contact with the bone talisman. What happens next is over in moments but the ripples spread wide and deep.

The magic thrumming against her chest contracts and stops, making the entire room freeze and Bonnie's eyes go wide, her mouth parting for air, to shout a warning and from the frown starting to change Kai's face he feels it but then it is too late. Magic explodes as the two objects make contact, sending slow, deep shock waves through the room that every witch present can hear and see but the _feel_ of it spreads wider, throughout the country. Time suddenly speeds up and the first shock wave blasts through the witches, sending them flying back to the walls. Pinned like butterflies they watch as Bonnie and Kai try to separate but the talisman and device are stuck together.

"It eats magic, like a black hole," Bonnie yells as the device begins to move, the wheels and cogs whirling madly. The noise is deafening. Bright light suddenly floods the room and everyone throws out their hands, shielding themselves. Gritting his teeth Kai tries to rip the talisman from her but as his fingers come into contact he is suddenly blasted back from her to the other end of the room.

"Bonnie! Drop it!" someone shouts and she sees Bree struggling to reach her.

"I can't!" she yells, trying to rip the necklace off, which is still stuck to the ascendant. She looks up as someone moves before her and she blindly reaches forward, thinking it's Kai.

"I'm sorry. We have to think of the future," Joshua says and in his hand is Kai's ascendant. Bonnie blinks in shock but then screams as the devices now in her hands burn and flare with a brilliant light and covering her eyes like a child does nothing to dispel the whiteness now in her head. It floods her, forcing up the magic buried deep inside, siphoned into the device like all the other magic in the room. Through the pain and commotion the force starts to abate and she hears chanting and she opens her eyes to see Kai one last time. He and his father are in battle, hands gripping each other's arms, their faces contorted with effort and hate. In this vortex of power she can see everything.

 _They're siphoning each other. Joshua is like Kai…which vacuum will win?_ Her thoughts are detached, like her mind and body… _I'm barely hanging on, it's gonna eat me up_ … _Help me. Help me! Kai!_

She screams as witches run or begin to drop from the walls and ceiling and each impact floods the device with more magic until she is in the centre of that vortex, and for one span of a heartbeat she is controlling it. Power like she has never felt blankets all concerns and as the remaining Gemini witches finish the chant that their former leader cannot she sends them away like a woman flicking flies off a table.

 _Too late, they landed_ she thinks distractedly as the chant dies and she screams once more before falling down a deep dark hole that swallows her and the power up.


	6. Prison Worlds

**Spring**

A beautiful stain glass ceiling shines above, casting a rainbow of lights over her body. Is she in the mall? Bonnie closes her eyes, counts to five and then opens them again. The glass remains and the dark fog over her mind drifts slowly to the corners. She's still in the ballroom but it is empty and quiet. Bonnie bolts upright, looking around the room in panic. Where is everyone?

"Kai?" Bonnie says his name again louder, getting to her knees but no one answers her and no one comes running. Feeling very strange and disorientated Bonnie gets to her feet. The room had been full of people, many of whom had been lying prone on the ground. It had also been approaching night but the sun slanting through the windows is just rising.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" trying to keep calm Bonnie takes a step forward and almost slips over. Under her foot is a small thin piece of greenish metal. A cog. "The Greek ascendant," she whispers and sees that the entire floor is littered with pieces from the device. Bonnie reaches for the talisman still around her neck and presses her fingertips to it hesitantly. Magic thrums against her skin, now just an echo. The old ascendant had not sucked the magic from the bone completely. Bonnie looks at her hands, which had moments ago been searing with pain as the two artefacts burned. Her skin is unblemished and pain free.

"What's going on?" she says to herself and walks to the window, the hem of her dress swishing against the floor. The view is of the same grounds but at this time in the morning a mist rolls off the river and into the trees. She is about to turn away when she spots something different. Pink blossom lines branches and yellow tulips crowd the bottom of tress.

"It's spring?" Bonnie presses her hands against the window, half wondering if she has missed a year when the answer comes to her with a leaden certainty. Joshua Parker has successfully sent her to Kai's prison world.

"It's May 10th 1994…"

She does not know how long she stares out of the window, watching the fog grow even thicker, obscuring trees and hills but as a clock chimes the hour she turns and looks at the shattered pieces of the old ascendant. It's not the 1994 version, she's sure. Maybe it cannot travel to this place. She bends down, reaching for a piece put the talisman swings from her neck and she snatches it back with a gasp. She has no idea why the two had reacted so violently when they made contact but she has no desire to repeat it. The talisman and the ascendant are here because both had been in her hands when Joshua had cast his spell. If only she had dragged the asshole along with her…

"It's okay, Kai will come…" she whispers, staring at the floor and watches with a detached fascination as the metal innards of the device very slowly start to move and Kai's comment about them being magnetised proves true. She watches two tiny pieces move slowly towards each other and then click together. The rest of the pieces, which are scattered across the entire floor, will take hours to self-construct. She could put it together herself but she does not want to touch them.

She thinks about Atticus, whose chance to go through the device and seek answers lies scattered at her feet. Sighing, Bonnie looks at the open doorway but does not move. Panic is a low lying beast, waiting to rise up and circle her throat so she forces herself into action. For all she knows there could be someone here, she's been knocked out for hours and they might be searching for her. Rubbing her ribs with a grimace she leaves the ballroom, careful not to disturb the metal on the floor and proceeds to search through the palace.

Voice hoarse from calling out and her shoes long abandoned Bonnie pads barefoot along the west wing. She has been walking for hours but strangely she does not feel tired or even hungry. What does bother her is the total silence and emptiness and she talks aloud to herself. Hearing her voice is oddly comforting. Coming across a grand office with a TV and radio Bonnie switches it on and hears a clipped voice talking about the arrest of two married serial killers, Rosemary and Fred West, before she switches it off, waits a few minutes and switches it back on. _Love is All Around_ by Wet, Wet, Wet plays and she hums along under her breath as she sits behind a large mahogany desk.

"Okay. So it looks like it's only me but Kai and my family know I'm here. They're coming…they're coming…" The last time she had seen Kai he had been fighting his father, both siphoning each other. He said no witch could kill another but Kai looked like he was trying very hard to break that rule. She stares at a folded piece of paper on the table but does not really see it. There is another silence behind the music and it is only when she realises that she has been unmoving and staring into space during the music does she take in a big gulp of shocked air. She had stopped breathing. Bonnie sits up, touching her chest but the pounding of her heart does not answer her fear, because she has no heartbeat. The peculiar sensation that has settled over her since waking now makes sense, though for reasons she cannot fathom.

"What the…?" she inhales and exhales deeply, feeling the way her lungs inflate but it feels unnecessary. "This is – this is crazy," swallowing she presses her fingertips to her wrist, feeling for a pulse, but finds nothing. Is she dead? Kai never mentioned this, in fact he made it clear that he could _not_ die in the prison world.

The panic at her imprisonment and isolation crash against this body horror and Bonnie presses her forehead against the desk, crumbling the unread letter in her hands. Squeezing her eyes shut she focuses for a long time on the soothing voices coming from the radio, sinking into it and when she breathes out slowly she does not breathe in. How long can she last? The fear and panic grow less as she sinks further into the comfortable warmth of a dark trance…

_–_ _fuck she's not breathing!_

_–_ _And she's got no pulse. Move out of the way!_

Bonnie jumps to her feet and spins around wildly. "Kai?! Atticus?" she stares at the radio where she clearly heard their voices coming from. She falls on her knees, grabbing the machine and shakes it desperately. "I'm here! I'm here! Can you hear me?" Chest aching she presses her ear to the speaker and through the crackle of _Whitney Houston_ she hears something else.

_–_ _it's back. What's wrong with…_

_–_ _I don't…she won't wake…_

"Kai! Please! I'm right here!" she yells as their voices fade away and the song returns. Tears falling down her face she hugs the radio to her chest, where her ribs thud with a dull ache, as if someone has been hitting them. Forcing herself to keep breathing Bonnie sits behind the desk, radio on her lap and cries.

* * *

**_Chambre de Chasse_ **

After hours spent either in a listless stupor or manic activity Bonnie sits on the lip of a window in the ballroom and watches the floor. This was the last place she had been seen so this will be the first place someone will look for her. Resting by her knee is the radio, which is now playing _Nightswimming_ by _R.E.M_. Nothing but music, news and the occasional static comes from the speaker.

 _Maybe I imagined it_ …she thinks and then says it out loud, looking at her reflection across the hall. "Maybe I'm imagining this whole thing. I fell down a hole, like Alice and she was dreaming so…" and she escaped Wonderland because she woke up. It could also explain her lack of a heartbeat and the need for air, though she has been diligently breathing, the phantom ache across her ribs still present. Moving the radio onto the floor she curls up on the window seat, watching the metal pieces on the floor whirling and clicking uselessly.

"Like someone putting a puzzle together with the wrong pieces…" she whispers, her eyes drooping closed. The drone of the radio, where a man is talking about Nelson Mandela fades away as she starts sinking into a familiar darkness.

_–_ _The pieces are repealing each other. They're all mixed up and we can't get close enough to fix it._

_–_ _They're trying to connect but it's taking too long. She seems to be okay now but I need to know what ascendant she went through._

_–_ _I know…_

Bonnie keeps her eyes closed and does not move, scared that she might open them and scare the voices away. It sounds like Kai and Shane are speaking a few feet away, like they're in the very room. _Maybe they are_ …she thinks and then sits up very slowly, her back pressed against the window and opens her eyes slowly, still in a calm trance, balanced between one world and the next. The bone talisman thumps with magic. She is alone but the voices carry on talking. They're standing by the door, invisible to her and she to them.

_–_ _The explosion caused serious damage, even if both ascendants are constructed again there's no telling if they're usable._

Bonnie stiffens at this voice because it belongs to Joshua Parker.

 _–_ _We wouldn't be talking about this if you hadn't activated my ascendant in the first place,_ Kai growls.

– _I had no other choice; it was her or all of us…_

 _–_ _she's still here Kai…_ Shane says softly and she barely hears Kai's angry retort because he's walking away, the sound of his boots retreating. Bonnie jumps off the window, the strange calm that helped her listen shaking as she desperately tries to follow. She reaches the marble staircase when she loses the sound of his footfalls and shouts.

"No! I'm here, I'm right next to you!" balling her fists she carries on walking, thinking of where Kai might go and so heads to his private rooms. During 1994 the suite is unoccupied and white sheets cover furniture like conspicuous, cubist ghosts. She closes her eyes and strains to listen but all she hears is the faint crackle of the radio still playing below. Wondering if she has gone mad in the span of a few lonely hours Bonnie opens another set of doors to a bedroom and with a heavy feeling she pulls the covers off the bed and furniture. As her reflection is revealed she looks at her dress and the lopsided tiara on her head before taking the dress off. She crawls into bed, now just in the golden camisole, thinking about changing the sheets but she's too drained to care. She had imagined a hopeful outcome and this had been it, hadn't it? Slipping into Kai's bed and waking up together as he promised, showing her around the grounds and cooking her breakfast. She had wanted it to be a fresh start.

"I thought you were the one who would disappear but it was me the whole time. Why didn't I consider that?"

Because Atticus is right, her own life has always been secondary to that of others, worth the risk if it meant someone else was spared. She was not someone who abandons loved ones; she sticks with them through thick and thin. Even without magic she would do the same. As a teenager she had almost died for her friends on many occasions and did so willingly. She thought that had changed after her grandmother almost paid the price she was willing to give but it hasn't, that drive is still there. Distancing herself from her friends had been for her own sake too. Despite what Kai had done she had been worried for him more than the possibility that she might be in danger.

"Is that crazy?" she whispers. Kai had confessed that he would risk his life and a thousand others for her. Would her friends do the same? Would her family? Not wanting to face the answer she turns on her side and stares at the empty pillow opposite. She closes her eyes again and imagines that Kai is just in the bathroom, getting ready to join her. As she falls asleep she can almost feel his body beside her, his hand on her hip and his lips on her cheek before she succumbs…

…Fingertips brush her temples, a light touch but something delves deeper, seeping into her mind and at first she resists, pushing the intrusion away but the presence becomes gentle and she relents. The touch moves to her cheek and Bonnie opens her eyes.

"…Kai?"

"Thank god it worked," he breathes beside her and roughly gathers her up in his arms and kisses her with a desperate passion. They are lying in the same bed and the room is dark.

"What? What's going on? Am I back?" she asks, pulling away to cup his face as she stares in bewilderment. He feels real. Kai shakes his head.

"This is a dream, we're sharing it. I've pulled you into my _Chambre de Chasse_... Bon where are you?"

"I'm still in the palace but it's 1994. It's weird here. I don't – I don't understand what's going on," she says and tears prick her eyes. Kai kisses her again as she sits up and he keeps her pressed to him.

"My father activated my ascendant to trap you because he thought the two devices were going to swallow up the palace and then everything else," he explains and he looks deeply angry. Bonnie nods in grudging acceptance and Kai laughs bitterly. "You agree?"

"You weren't holding them Kai. The power would have devoured me and everything in it's path. It was like the ascendant was trying to absorb the talisman but it put up a fight," more than a fight, for one frightening but glorious moment she had control over the power pouring around the room. "I couldn't stop it and it wouldn't let me go. He – he was right. He sucks but it was too dangerous to keep me there," she adds at his terrible expression, taking his face in her hands. "When are you coming to get me?"

"Bon…Don't you know?"

"What?"

"You didn't _go_ anywhere. You're lying right next to me."

"What? I'm stuck in 1994. It's spring and there's no one else there."

"I know but _physically_ you're still in 2016. Both ascendants activated at the same time and then exploded. I thought you had gone but when the light cleared you were on the floor but you wouldn't wake up. You've been unconscious since last night but you hadn't dreamed until now. I wasn't sure what world you were in."

"My body is with you?" she asks slowly and he nods. "But my mind…"

"Is in the 1994 prison world. I think a part of you got sent, like an astral projection. What the device did, it took a lot out of you. You – you almost died earlier," he says quietly and Bonnie nods as he draws her tightly to him.

"I guess this explains why I don't need to eat or breathe…but I'll keep on doing it because I think whatever happens here has an effect on my body," she guesses and he agrees. He sighs, stroking her hair and gazes at her with an intense conviction.

"I'm going to find a way to bring you back."

"Tried shaking me? You know I'm a heavy sleeper," she jokes but he does not smile.

"What do you think?"

"I woke up in the ballroom but I haven't dreamed until now. Maybe when I wake up from this I might come back to you?" her question goes unanswered, his face unsure and she leaves it. That would be too good to be true. Too easy. She smiles weakly. "I heard you and Shane talking, I was in this kind of trance, when my heart stopped I guess. You were on the radio."

"Cool, I'm famous," he smiles and kisses her mouth gently before he pulls back and looks downcast. "I almost killed my dad, I wanted to. Shane pulled me off him."

Bonnie winces, imagining how out of control Kai must have been, needing to lash out. She narrows her eyes. "What did you do to Atticus?"

"He'll heal," he shrugs, looking around the room. The furniture is out of focus and oddly flickering, the lights glowing dreamily. He called this place the _Chambre de Chasse_ : a hunting room, which she knows is a mental playing field for witches. She has never used one, they always gave her the creeps but she thanks god that Kai is not averse, though she avoids thinking what he may have used his for in the past…

"This is the only way I can see you? In this place?"

"Only when you dream. If I could come to you I would but technically you're not really there so…" Kai trails off as Bonnie exhales a weary breath. Being separated between two worlds is an accident and should not have happened. The whole ordeal is utterly bizarre and focusing on that rather than the fear and panic gnawing at the pit of her stomach is preferable.

"Has this ever happened to anyone else?"

"Not that I know of. Shane is at the Archives seeing what he can dig up. I'm going to see those seers he's so keen on in the morning, maybe they'll have some answers."

Bonnie nods, trying to hide the pang of despair at the notion that he is going to leave. He sees the emotions flitting over her face and sits up against the headboard, bringing her against his chest. "I'll stay if you want?"

"No, they need you and I feel better knowing you're helping. I think I can hack not seeing you for a few hours, you did it for years so I'm not going to fall apart. You also have a coven to run," she jokes but his face is like thunderous stone.

"That _coven_ sent you here when my father couldn't finish the job. If they come to me with anything that isn't a fucking apology and a way to get you back then they're even more stupid then I thought."

"Kai…don't do anything."

"Too late," he smiles but his eyes gleam with a dark violence. Bonnie shakes her head, picturing witches in some dark dungeon under the palace. As angry as he is they saved hundreds of people.

"I could have sucked all the magic and structure out of _everything_. Magic and nature, they're entwined, and that device and the place it's connected to could sap our world dry," she shudders. "You said that no witch can kill another but that thing could break through any binding given time."

"This wasn't your fault. It was just shitty luck that the two devices came into contact," he says, looking down at the talisman. It appears to have no adverse effect on him here. He frowns. "It better be an accident or next time I won't give your adviser a black eye, I'll remove it."

Bonnie scowls angrily, leaning off him. "This isn't his fault either. How could he know this would happen?"

"You're soft on him Bonnie, you just see this tweedy widower don't you? He might be human but he's got you deep under something," Kai accuses and his anger goes beyond jealousy. Bonnie gets out of the bed and he follows her quickly.

"You know if you got to know him you'd see he's a good guy. He reminds me of you sometimes."

"Why do you think I hate him?" he says, surprising her. "If we never met he's exactly the type of man you'd be with and you know it."

Bonnie shakes her head, arms crossing over her chest. "But I'm _not_ with him and he's not interested in me like that," she says and immediately remembers the heat in Shane's gaze when he saw her in the dress. She pushes the memory away but a prickling, uncomfortable heat rises through her, turning to anger. "I'm glad that you're so concerned about another man rather than the fact your wife is trapped in some Twilight Zone. Why don't you leave if this is all you're here for?"

"Wait, wait, wait," he pulls her to him gently as she makes for the door. "I'm sorry. I'm panicky, which is really new for me and I don't know how to deal with it."

"You never panic?" she keeps her body side on to his, defensive.

"Only ever about myself so this is different. It's you," he smiles softly down at her, hands messaging her shoulders, turning her to face him and she breathes out. He lifts a hand to brush a curl of hair away from her face. "Members of your coven are still here, everyone else I told to get out…or they're in the hospital wing," he adds reluctantly.

"Were they badly injured?"

Kai opens his mouth, hesitates and Bonnie tilts her head. He sighs down at her. "The Greek ascendant drained magic from exactly thirteen witches and it hasn't stopped. They're gonna be sapped dry if we don't find a way to stop it."

"What?"

"It's like an IV is attached to them and their magic is disappearing drip by drip. It's happening slowly because the ascendants are now scattered over the ballroom, all mixed up together. We can't get close, it's crazy in there but when pieces fit together the more magic those witches lose. If they leave the palace…"

"They'll die…" she whispers and sits on the edge of the bed. They have to find a way to stop it. She regards Kai, who sits beside her and slumps over, elbows on his knees. "Are you okay?" she asks quietly.

"I'm fine and so are you. I thought your magic would be gone but the talisman around your neck is working overtime. I think it's protecting you."

Bonnie smiles, fingering the pendant that once belonged to her ancestor. Could it be Qetsiyah somehow? She is apparently long dead but her magic still flows through the talisman. An essence. Some believe that Silas is immortal and trapped in the world on the other side of the device. It only started acting wild once the bone talisman came into contact with it. What if Silas thought the person wearing the necklace was his wife? What if he wanted to drag her into his prison? Joshua Parker activing the 1994 ascendant may have just saved her life.

Kai gazes at her intently. "What are you thinking?"

"Can't guess?" Bonnie's mouth curls, head cocking so her hair brushes her thigh.

"I'm sustaining this place in our minds, little busy," he smiles softly and she allows herself the time to stare at his face. He looks so tired, his humour covering anger and fear. Once he may have been able to mask his every thought but now they flash like neon. She reaches over and takes his hand.

"You're keeping me here?"

He nods. "Both of us are anchored to the dream. See if you can find your totem," he urges playfully and Bonnie plays along, needing the distraction, and searches around the bedroom. He follows at her back, hand still in hers. The oak wardrobe is empty and so is the bathroom before she finds something hanging up on the outside of the wardrobe: a black gi and belt. It's the only thing aside from them that does not glow and flicker.

"Karate?"

"Look at the back," he orders and she turns the jacket and promptly bursts out laughing.

"Cobra Kai?"

"Yeah, like _Karate Kid_?"

"Of course you'd side with the bullies."

"Daniel was a pussy."

"Daniel won," she reminds him but he waves a dismissive hand and she hangs the gi back up. "Hmm, what's me..?" she moves to the vanity and sees amidst silk scarves and beaded necklaces something round shining. She pulls the fabric aside and finds a snow globe.

"Does it fit?" he asks as she lifts it into her hands and her heart squeezes. Inside the watery dome is a pair of pink ballerina slippers. She had told Kai and demonstrated that she used to dance semi-professionally. The object in her hands is an exact replica of a gift her father had once given her and it still sits in her old room. Tears in her eyes she tips it upside down and watches as flecks of plastic snow swoop.

"It's perfect. How did you know?"

"I asked your grandmother and she sent me a picture. She and your dad are on their way," he adds and Bonnie looks up from the swirling water to him.

"My dad is coming?" she had expected and hoped for her grandmother but knowing that her father is also coming makes the brave armour she had been clinging to crumble. Crying she sits back down on the bed, the snow globe in her lap.

"I spoke to Rudy, never really got the chance before. He's a scary dude. He – well he kinda hates me?" he laughs and Bonnie joins him. "It's a nice, normal kinda hate. I'm the bad man who's taken his little girl away."

Bonnie shakes her head, wiping her cheeks. "He doesn't like that I'm a witch and married to another. He blames it for mom leaving. She – she used to be the town witch, helping and helping like I used to. I guess she got sick of it one day…" she trails off, her resentment tinged with understanding. Bennett witches have an altruistic streak that can and has gotten them killed.

Kai rubs the back of her hand. "What if I was normal, would he like me then?"

"If you were human…he'd still hate you," she laughs and from under the globe she winds up a jack and sets the gift down on the vanity unit. _Swan Lake_ plays faintly and she sighs.

"Hmm in some other world I would have swept ballerina Bonnie off her slippers."

"You think? And what would you be?"

"A _gorgeous_ version of Gordon Ramsey," he says seriously and she laughs again, sitting back down. "I'd have a chain of elite restaurants; people have to wait months for a table. You'd come in one day to escape the press and rain and I'd be there. It's late and empty. You don't know it's me and I invite you back and make you the best sandwich you've ever had. You'll say that more than once."

"And then?"

"We'd talk and then fuck on a table while I lick cream off your body."

"Huh. I think I've seen this porno."

"Really? I thought I was being original," he looks crestfallen but his eyes are aflame with a frisky lust. He moves the tendrils of her hair away from her shoulder and neck and she tilts her head back, looking at the snow globe as he leans closer, his hand on her thigh.

"Will you stay with me while I fall asleep?" she asks quietly, looking at the pink slippers in the empty glass and Kai leans back and then gently tilts her face to him. His eyes flick from her eyes to her full lips before nodding.

"You can only leave the dream chamber once you smash the globe. It's the anchor. Another one," he adds dryly.

"Same with Cobra Kai?" she asks and he nods as they move back into the bed together. He is dressed in grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt and she presses her face against the soft cotton over his chest as they lie together. She knows with a cold surety that when the globe shatters she will wake alone so she intends to keep him with her for as long as possible.

"You can't stay in here forever, it messes with your head," he says as if reading her mind. "You know fun stuff like screwy perceptions of reality and never waking up."

"Hmm, like _Inception_."

"Huh? Oh, still haven't seen that. It's on my to-watch list."

"How long is your list now?"

"Four hundred and forty two and counting…and that's just the Simpsons," he enfolds her in his arms, their legs tangled together and he is right about the dangers of the chamber because this feels too real. She presses her ear to his chest and hears his heartbeat and feels the thud of her own. The dream is more real than the prison world she is trapped in. There she feels like a ghost.

"The Greek Ascendant is here too. A projection like me I guess. It's trying to reassemble but it's taking a long time. What happens if it does?"

"There? I don't know. Is the ballroom wild like mine is?"

She shakes her head. "It's the most powerful thing in the prison world. Maybe…"

"What?"

"Maybe I can channel it?"

Kai looks down at her, brow furrowed. "You think that's going to work? Last night it channelled _us_. It was like a siphoning black hole."

"I know" she says tiredly, thinking of her dreams and even further back to her coming of age display. Kai had made her sun go supernova and collapse. Had that been a hint, a ripple of things to come? Pushing aside these unanswerable questions she moves until she is lying on top of him, his arms around her back. "I'm just saying I'm not going to be waiting to be rescued. There's magic here, even if it's just an echo, it's still a lot. If I don't do _something_ I'll – I'll…" she can't finish. Kai looks at her with empathy.

"I know…Okay, put it together but don't let that thing near it," he says, tapping the talisman and Bonnie nods.

She sighs and gazes down at him. "I still can't believe this has happened. I wish my body got sent too, at least you'd be able to get me out."

"Ah…" he winces and she lifts her eyebrows, waiting for him to carry on. He reaches for her left hand and rubs his thumb along the gold ring he had given her. "You and this ring act as my anchor. If you're in the real world and you call me, I come to you…"

"But not if I'm in retro hell?"

He nods. "I can get there but I wouldn't be able to leave if you're still there too. You'd tug me back. Does that make sense?"

She nods, placing her hands against his shoulders. "So I would need my own anchor."

"Luckily only a part of you is there so maybe a tether isn't needed. Or…" his eyes flicker as he thinks, unfocused and Bonnie comes to the answer as he does.

"My body is the anchor!"

"Right, because it's _just_ your consciousness that needs to be reeled back in. When I wake up I'll make you an anchor anyway, just to be safe," he smiles and exhales in relief. "I think this will work."

"But how do I pull myself back?"

They stare at each other in silence, no answers coming until Kai shrugs. "We'll figure it out."

Bonnie smiles weakly and leans her head down until her mouth is above his, barely touching. The corner of her lips curl as he exhales a breath, a moan. Kai runs his hands down her back, the soft fabric of her dark golden camisole crinkling in his hands. He pouts a little.

"This would be the perfect opportunity to rip that sexy dress off you with no actual damage."

"Hmm but what if the dress in the real world bares the effects of your caveman hands?"

He looks offended and lifts his hands off her ass. "Caveman? These hands are made for tinkling ivories, knives and Bonnie Bennett," he demonstrates by tapping his fingers quick and lightly along her bare back, making her shudder and then gasp as he reaches down and strokes the back of her knee gently over and over and she closes her eye at the wonderful sensation. Did he know that was an erogenous zone for her? His hands have stroked and caressed every inch of her so he must.

"Kai…should we be doing this?"

"Yes? Why not?" he slides his hands under the camisole, palming her ass. "Back in the real world we're asleep."

"I know…" she breathes heavily, which she knows in an affectation but then so is the arousal pooling between her legs. "The last time we had sex was -"

"A thousand years ago? Another world?" he grins, rubbing his nose against hers and then relents, growing serious. "Do you want to? Is it too soon? Weird?"

"It's _something_ …" she smirks, knowing it is a distraction, a _comfort_ , but one she desperately needs. "You promise no one can get to my body?" she asks and he stops, even the lust cools as he cups her face.

"No one. You're thinking about my coven?"

"Your dad. He used the ascendant on me for the safety of everyone but we both know he just hit two birds with one stone. If something happens to me in the real world…" there's no point creating a tether for her mind if there's no body to get back to.

"You are safe, I've put layer after layer of wards around you and the room. It's practically a spider's web, trapping anyone uninvited. No one but me touches you," he says firmly, repeating what he had told her earlier but for very different reasons. "My dad is in a wheelchair. I fucked him up pretty good."

The rage that lies under his detached tone is white hot. Bonnie remembers what she saw in the ballroom. "He's a siphoner, I saw it, felt it," she whispers and his face flinches, his jaw clenching hard.

"I never suspected, no one did. Hypocritical, self-loathing asshole kept that a secret from everyone. The coven is running around like chickens, don't know which person to actually take orders from: the dirty siphoner or the other dirty siphoner?" he snorts, looking bitterly up at the bed canopy.

Bonnie rubs his chest as he turns his face to her. "If your speech at dinner was true and you really do have my coven's back…they'll have yours," she says and Kai nods, inhaling before he smiles, his index finger brushing along her nose.

"Still haven't answered me."

"About what?"

"Can I rip your dress off?"

Her lips quirk. "This isn't a dress."

Kai growls and before she can say anything else he rolls her over, straddling her and proceeds to demonstrate that ripping a thin camisole off her body is just as thrilling as a multi thousand dollar dress. He makes her keep the tiara on.

* * *

**An eldritch world.**

Days pass and each night he joins her. Waking up in the same room, the same bed but alone is distressing and disorientating so Kai refurbishes his dream chamber to a room she has only glimpsed once through a mirror. His bedroom in Portland is large, shelves lined with books, DVDS and countless CDs. All are empty in this make believe and she hopes that one day she can pursue at her leisure.

Her nights are his but the rest of the day she wanders through the empty palace, following Kai's instructions as she searches one morning for a cloaked library. It is meant to house manuscripts about astral projection that might help her. The Gemini, witches who are probably the most skilled at concealment, have lost entire buildings over the years because of their penchant for not sharing the location of these places. The library is apparently not lost but Bonnie has spent hours repeating the same two words and the only things to materialise are a locked vault and a chest full of real phoenix feathers.

" _Phasmatos Oculix_ …and nothing, wow," she sighs, slumping against a wall. She is in the east wing, where Kai says it should be but maybe he is wrong. Buttoning her cardigan Bonnie opens a random door and walks into a bedroom, a four poster taking up most of the space. She had raided wardrobes for clothes that fit her and found a bedroom in the west wing that once belonged to a Booth, judging from the photographs around the room. During 1994 Joshua Parker was the coven leader but the palace was occupied by the Booth-Parker's, who she views as something like regents. Kai might be the leader but if he goes back to America she has no doubt the rest of England will continue to think of the Booth's as the leading family of the Gemini.

"If he goes…" she murmurs, tugging on white sheets covering tables. Sighing she walks through the room and out, which leads her to the other side of the wing. It is the first time she has ventured to this part of the palace. At first she sees nothing wrong with the view, for days the mist that has rolled off the river has grown dense, to the point that it is starting to encroach on the palace. Sometimes she sees nothing but a whirling dull whiteness. Other times the skies are blue. She takes a second look as something drifts down and settles against the windowpanes. England during May is chilly but cold enough for snow? Pressing her fingertips against the freezing glass she looks up from the melting snowflake and her eyes widen. Snow blankets the grounds, weighing down tree branches and dusting the freezing the lake.

"…What?" Bonnie closes her eyes tight, counts to five and then opens them. Winter covers the park, the fog gone with falling snow in its place. Confused and wondering yet again if she is starting to lose her mind Bonnie races back into the bedroom and out to the other side of the wing, running to a window.

Daffodils droop in the dense mist and the sun is a glowing glob of light in a foggy sky. No snow. Bonnie backs away, shaking her head and steeling her nerve she makes her way down to the grounds. Finding a servant's entrance Bonnie stands on the threshold, coldness enveloping her body, making her cross her arms over her chest. The snow is compact and when she steps in it she leaves a footprint.

"It's real…"

* * *

After an hour of skirting the edge of the palace grounds she summarises that the entire west wing is spring and the end of the east wing and grounds is winter. The year becomes apparent when she stumbles across the infirmary with instruments dated clearly from the turn of the century. Taking a gas lamp with her to remind herself that she is not imagining things Bonnie sits in the ballroom, which is unchanged. However the ascendant is slowly coming together. Too slowly. The strange gas lamp by her knee Bonnie leans over and with a hesitant hand she touches a part of the device. Magic surges over her fingers, making her gasp and snatch her hand back.

"You're not really here. Your corporal form is in the real world, like mine…but we still have magic," she stares at the device, watching parts of it shudder, and sits crossed legged. Where magic resides is a topic as contested as the notion of where the soul sits. She is not really here physically, though she can interact with her surroundings, but magic is still an integral part of her. She can cast spells and they have an effect.

"But it's not strong, it's a shadow…" she and device are in the same predicament, they need to be reunited with their corporal forms to access their full power. Shadows without a body. Fingering the talisman Bonnie leans over and daringly she pushes two pieces closer and they connect with a satisfying click. She looks up and a woman in a long green dress and waist length dark hair stares at her with a matching expression of shock. Bonnie snatches her hand back as the woman gasps and just before she disappears Bonnie sees something metallic tumbling out of her grasp.

* * *

"She was real Kai!"

"Back up. You're saying one side of the building is 1994 and the other..?"

"Is 1903. I know it sounds crazy but I swear it's true," she leans on the edge of his desk as Kai sits up in bed. She had found a journal in the infirmary, the date written in it.

"I believe you. Once, I think it was 1998, my dad got really sick, like sick enough to croak. The prison world started acting weird and one day I woke up to a foot of snow covering the car I was sleeping in. This was in Florida. He got better and it was spring time for Kai and America," he singsongs but his mocking smile is tight. Since she entered the chamber Kai has been suspiciously quiet until now, his gaze heavy with unsaid words. Bonnie moves to sit on the edge of the bed, cocking her head.

"Is everything okay?"

"What if we try a kick?" he asks and the question is so strange she bypasses the fact he had not answered her.

"What?"

"I asked Liv about that movie you mentioned, _Inception_. She said that when the characters were stuck deep in dreams the only way to bring them back was to physically jolt their real bodies."

"I'm not dreaming. I mean _this_ is a dream…" Bonnie laughs, confused but he understands. "Seeing as I haven't jolted awake I take it you're taking good care of me?"

He smiles and the tension lessens. He leans over and pulls her to him and she settles back against his chest. "It's just a theory but I could float you above the bed and then let you fall. The shock might do something."

She shrugs, agreeing. They have found no help in the Archives or with the seers yet and taking a cue from a movie, though odd, can't hurt. Kai kisses the top of her head, arms around her body. She thinks back to the barely concealed agitation on his face since she got to the chamber and brushes her fingers lightly up and down his arm.

"How's your father?"

He huffs a laugh, arms tightening around her. "Still alive. He's pretending like the fight never happened but everyone saw, everyone knows…he wants to quarantine the ballroom," he adds and Bonnie turns in his arms. Is this what has been troubling him?

"Well that's a good thing right? You said it's unstable?"

Kai shakes his head, nostrils flaring. "He wants to seal it off for good. The ascendants are merging."

"What?" her mouth falls open.

"Both devices are almost exactly the same and different parts are clicking together. Every time it happens the magic swells. No one can get close enough to stop it, not even witches from the Armoury, and any magic we send it just eats. I have to get you out before it fully merges because when it does I don't know what will happen to you or the world you're in."

He gazes at her with worry and her stomach is flipping over. "Maybe – maybe that's why I can see another time period and that woman? You said your dad was dying when you saw snow in Florida but you're okay, aren't you?"

He nods, sighing and getting to his knees he draws her up into his arms. "Who do you think she was?"

"I don't know. She was there for a second, I didn't get a good look at her but I'm certain she was holding an ascendant." Bonnie grips the talisman in her hand, already planning on finding a way to see the woman again.

"Your immediate family is arriving soon, I'll have to go, got more questions to answer that I've already said a hundred times," he says irritably but Bonnie's heart jumps with excitement, paying little attention to what he added.

"Can my family come here?"

"You grandmother says she's got her own version. This is ours," he says and kisses her softly, cupping her face. "Your coven is doing everything they can to help…and so are mine, finally," he adds and Bonnie.

"Really?"

"Yeah after they realised they had been lied to for decades by my dad they've started to turn to me. I'm still a freaky siphoner but I never hid that from them. They want to stop the ascendants merging more than getting you out but they also know what will happen if they hinder that rescue in any way. Locking the council up really put a fire under their asses."

Her eyes widen and she leans back. "You really have imprisoned them?!"

"Yes. Those who have seen the error of their idiotic ways are free. The others are stubborn assholes and they can rot. They have done nothing but undermine me and generally make my life a hell. I'm tired of playing nice, that's not who I am, not with people like that," he shakes his head, deathly serious and she keeps silent, knowing that nothing she can say will change his mind. He is a leader and she sees now he is one to fear but with a coven like his it's the only way to keep order. Sounds exhausting.

"So…anything else?"

Kai smiles, relaxing. He pulls them back so she is resting against his chest again, caught between his legs. "Elena got in contact. They haven't done the unlinking ritual yet, she _and_ Klaus found out Elijah was going to risk his life and they stopped him so now they're trying to find another Original they can play genuine pig with. Apparently their long lost father is entombed somewhere and he has one other sire, some vampire in Monroe. So if she lives it's safe to unlink the rest of them."

Bonnie nods, only half listening, because Kai's hand has slipped under her night gown. His fingers circle slowly between her thighs as he speaks. He acts like he is not, muttering mundane things in her ear as he fingers her while his left hand slides up and down her hip. Bonnie groans, letting her head fall back against his shoulder before she grinds her ass into his groin, making his voice hitch.

"She's – she's going to come see you in a few days. I begged her to invite Elijah, I kinda love him," he breathes, hand gripping her thigh, pulling it back. Bonnie closes her eyes, nodding but when he starts talking about the history of vampires entering the palace she reaches back and covers his mouth. He sucks on her fingers and she moans loudly, her hips bucking and unable to stand it any longer he pushes her onto her hands and knees, flipping the nightgown over her hips. He enters her in in one hard thrust and she laughs as the overly padded mattress bounces and rocks with their wild movements.

"We – we have to stop doing this here," Kai groans, hands on her hips as he hammers into her.

"Why?"

"Because it'll be so much better when you get out and we haven't touched."

"Delayed gratification? Oh god, please keep doing that," she pleads, gripping the sheets as he grinds his cock, magic brushing her clit delicately, driving her mad.

"When – when I saw you in the mall that first time I didn't touch another woman until I married you. Waiting for you was so fucking worth it."

"The honeymoon? You waited all those years?"

Kai slows, pulling out and rolls her over and then rests his weight on his forearms. He kisses her gently, brushing her hair back as he moves inside again with slow, gentle strokes. "I'm patient but I have no intention of waiting that long to really be with you again. I will be with you, one way or another," his promise is deep and dark and he seals it with a kiss that is just as intense, a kiss that sucks all the questions and doubts away. Afterwards, sated and wrapped up in strong arms she sighs with regret as he points at his totem keeping him anchored to the dream and sets it on fire. At the same time she flicks her hand at the snow globe on the bedside table and tips it over the edge. They always agree to leave the chamber at the same time.

Bonnie wakes up but Kai and the snow globe are gone. She peers at the newspaper she keeps by the bedside and seeing the date she nods with a weary disappointment and rolls back over. An _Inception_ kick does not work because no matter the oddness of her existence this world is not a dream. There's nothing to wake up from.

* * *

More days pass but with no eclipse overhead she loses track of how many and after awhile Kai avoids telling her. Her grandmother had pulled Bonnie into her own chamber many times since her arrival, which was a perfect representation of her kitchen back in Mystic Falls.

"Nothing like this has happened before but we're all working hard to find a way to free you," she had said with a smile but it was strained. With some coaxing she tells Bonnie the truth, a truth that Kai had no heart to tell. Bonnie blinks when Sheila stops talking, the warm coffee mug between her hands forgotten.

"The Armoury are investigating what happened?"

Sheila nodded. "With so many high ranking witches struck down they have to. They want to take the device, lock it away."

"Well that's a good thing, right?"

Her grandmother slowly shakes her head and then takes Bonnie's hands. "They agree with Joshua Parker, they don't want to risk it assembling. They want to find a way to remove the pieces from the palace."

Bonnie blinks, breathing becoming shallow. "But if they do that I might not be able to return."

"They're aware," Sheila says, eyes flinty. "Bonnie…they suspect that you attacked the witches."

"What?!"

"You were holding the devices, one of which targeted exactly thirteen witches from different covens. They think it was deliberate."

"But – but it wasn't!" Bonnie stares at her grams open mouthed, appalled.

"I know and I told them that, along with every coven leader in attendance. No one believes you had anything to do with it but…"

"They have to investigate every possibility," Bonnie concludes, shaking her head. "Do they think I had something to do with my family disappearing too?" she half jokes and a composed mask settles over her grandmother's face, hiding the flash of rage there. Bonnie sits up right, eyes blazing. "They do!?"

"Bonnie they have nothing. You have a concrete alibi, you were at Whitmore. You didn't do anything but we both know who did."

_Joshua Parker._

Bonnie sits back, trying to calm herself. It must look suspect, she concedes. Thirteen witches stood between her and the coven throne and they all got knocked aside so her path was clear. Both incidents involve the Greek ascendant. Do they know that?

"Kai is dealing with them. Atticus thinks he's found a spell that might work to bring your consciousness back to your body but we won't know unless the 1994 ascendant is complete. The pieces, they're fusing and the thirteen witches who were hurt are growing weak."

"There has to be a way without harming anyone…"

The question goes unanswered until that night when Kai paces the floor of his dreamscape apartment. They had argued fiercely about him keeping the Armoury investigation from her, Kai not wanting to burden her with the truth when she had so much to deal with. He had been quick to inform her that he has gladly thrown his father to the wolves, the real culprit, and the suspicions about her innocence have been diverted, for now. If Joshua Parker can wriggle out of it remains to be seen. Either way her coven and Kai have denied all accusations against her vehemently.

"The Greek ascendant is sucking all the magic from the witches in the infirmary. What if I act as a conduit?"

Bonnie blinks at his sudden question. "What?"

"I siphon the magic it's taking, stop it absorbing. Maybe we'd have a chance to dampen it, put it together and get you back."

His eyes are alight with the idea and hope ignites in her stomach, even as she shakes her head. "Thirteen witches? Can you manage that much?"

"It'll be fine."

"Kai."

"I can handle it," he says and sits beside her, staring into her eyes but Bonnie is not convinced. The last time he gorged on so much magic he completely lost control. Though she can't blame magic for those crimes…

"Well _I_ won't be able to handle it if something bad happens. What about other siphoners?"

"What?" he leans back, jaw clenching like he had not even thought of the idea.

"If you can find others, ask them to help then maybe it won't just fall on you."

"Other siphoners?"

"Yeah, think about it. If they absorb the magic temporally, act as a conduit, then they could all be safely moved out of the palace and away from the device. They'd be saving lives with a power that your coven has hated for generations. Think of the good it could do," she smiles, imagining it and Kai stares at her in silence before he starts to slowly nod.

"Okay, I'll look into it," he says but he does not seem convinced. Bonnie stands, inhaling and looks at the snow globe on the nightstand.

"I want to piece my shadow ascendant together. I think if I do I can see that woman again," she had tried but so far she had been unsuccessful at glimpsing her. Maybe she had been a ghost? Kai comes to her side and gazes at her deeply, opens his mouth but then shuts it. Bonnie smiles, cocking her head.

"What?"

"I found something, part of a spell. I had to improvise but if things go south…"

"I don't want anything to happen to those witches." So many, including Luka Martin. He had just become leader of his coven, a whole rich life ahead of him...

Kai's mouth snarls. "I don't care about them. You think I wouldn't sacrifice them in a heartbeat for you?"

"I don't want to hear this," she crosses her arms over her chest, looking away in anger.

"It's true. The device is the only way to get you back but it almost killed you. Putting the shadow version together…" he trails off, inhaling deeply. "I wish there was another way to get you back."

"What else can we do? Do you want me to be stuck here alone forever?"

"Not alone. The spell I found, I think I can use it to project my mind to you," he speaks softly, hands on her arms and Bonnie shakes her head slowly.

"But you'd be like me."

"I'm not leaving you there alone, only ever seeing you in dreams. I wake up and it kills me to see you lying next to me but you're empty. If you can't come back to me then I'm going to you."

"No, you're not." She tugs herself out of his grasp, face set and angry. "Knowing that you're free, that you're fighting for me is my tether to the real world, do you understand? You give me hope and you want to cut it? What about what I want?"

"I don't deserve this fate."

"I don't but you sharing it would be worse. It means you're giving up. If you are then what hope do I have?"

"I love you," he says quietly, meaning every word and she smiles softly.

"I know you do, I know and I think - I think I could too," she admits fragilely and he inhales another deep breath, eyes fixed on hers. "We've only just begun but if you strand yourself with me then it's over. I want to live with you in the real world, I want to be with people, my friends and family…I want my life back."

He nods, looking down. He snorts softly. "I'm a selfish asshole. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise…just don't give up," she stresses and he looks up and his expression is fiercely loving. He leans down and kisses her roughly, hands tangling in her hair and she returns the kiss just as intensely.

* * *

**Shadows**

Days bleed together, the disorientation she feels reflected back at her through the windows of the palace. She had taken the fog to be part of 1994 but as it creeps closer to the building she sees her mistake. Dark shapes materialise, ancient oak and ash that replace the manicured hedges of the maze and rectangular, manmade lake. The fog, like the snow, is from another time, another world.

Which one is answered the day Bonnie successfully resembles the Greek ascendant. She had done so with a manic energy, frightened that with each piece she would be dissolved into fibres of magic but her desperation to get out outweighs her fear. If Kai snaps and traps his mind with her…She needs magic, more magic then she has.

Kai has been searching the world for siphoners, ordering the Gemini members to collect and present them to him. He had told her with an ill-disguised disgust that most of them had not practised magic for years, instead shunning that dry and empty part of them in favour of a normal, ordinary existence. His disgust had not been from their refusal to embrace their heritage but rather each and every one had been convinced since birth to do so. What use is a siphoner in a world that hates you for being a literal drain? Better to hide and forget, better to live a decent, human life.

He was met with resistance, in some cases violent, and he had been hedgy about how he managed to convince thirteen of them but Bonnie knows that each of those siphoners are now gauged on magic and Kai, who has been keeping hold of his control by fingertips, would drown them in magic if it meant she was released. Today the thirteen sick witches would be moved from the palace, if they are successful in siphoning their magic away from the ascendant.

"Thirteen witches…" Bonnie murmurs as she places two wheels together but they push against each other and she discards them. The correct pieces click together like magnets but repel the parts that do not fit. Her family had been thirteen when they linked together to destroy the Greek ascendant. It may be a coincidence, the witches at the ball had been struck at random. All from different high covens. Hers and Kai's had been spared…another suspicion in the mind of the Armoury.

"Thirteen, thirteen, thirteen," whispering repeatedly she slots a cog onto place with a satisfying click. A circle of witches is a powerful thing and with that number they can do amazing and terrible feats of magic. That is why a circle is meant to be monitored and agreed by the Summit of covens. Her coven's attempt at destroying the ascendant had been kept a secret, though Joshua Parker had heard whispers and investigated. It angers her and Kai to know that his father and Ernestine Bennett had exactly the same fears and desire: they had not wanted the ascendant destroyed but hidden. Hidden by who would have been the rub but no one would have died.

"If they had just been open and talked then none of this would have happened…" she shakes her head, looking at the window as fog swirls around it. If her family had not formed a circle and disappeared then she and Kai would have never been married. He would be married to Lucy and Bonnie would be back in Mystic Falls instead of stuck in this twilight world, only catching glimpses of her husband in dreams. If Joshua Parker is right the marriage between her and Kai would be forfeit if her cousin returns. What if she stays in this world and Lucy returns? What would Kai do?

"He'd come here, he'd trap himself with me," that idea is preferable to the first one that immediately came to mind. He said that the Gemini coven can make accidents happen to their enemies and no one would suspect. Her cousin would not last a week.

Casting this dark thought aside Bonnie looks down and gasps. The Greek ascendant sits complete in the palm of her hand; she had not even felt it. Moving as if a wild beast sits perfectly still in her hand Bonnie reaches for the talisman lying against her chest, careful not to let them touch. Gripping the bone she inhales and then whispers the spell to active the device.

After a long, tense pause the metal contraption begins to whirl and spin, the wheels and cogs moving. Magic washes over her, not the consuming kind that ripped her in half and left her mind to be sucked into the 1994 prison world like a leaf down a storm drain. The talisman burns against her hand, magic pumping through it. Bonnie looks up and stops breathing. The woman she had glimpsed stands clearly before her, watching silently. She is a few years older than herself, with long hair and tan skin. She is stunning and her brown eyes are bright and fiercely intelligent. Behind her the ballroom is gone. Instead Bonnie can see a rocky, dark wall and fire. All is out of focus except the woman and the ascendant clearly grasped in her hand, a replica of the one held in her own.

"…Hi?" Bonnie says, her mouth dry and the woman cocks her head in confusion and begins speaking in a language that Bonnie does not recognise at first. She catches a few words and realises that the woman is speaking Greek. Ancient Greek. Bonnie tries a few words and the woman's eyes widen in excitement before she lifts a hand for silence and turns to speak to someone Bonnie cannot see. The woman mutters something, eyes closed and as she finishes the spell Bonnie feels a pleasant tingle, like someone is blowing air softly into the shell of her ears.

"…I should be able to comprehend you now," the woman says, her Mediterranean accent thick and Bonnie nods vigorously.

"Yes! I can understand you. Who – who are you?"

"My name is Cassia. Who are you? _When_ are you?" she asks excitedly, taking in Bonnie's appearance from tiptoes to the top of her head. She is dressed in jeans, chucks and a blue and white tie-die t-shirt.

"I'm – I'm Bonnie Bennett. I'm a witch. The year is…complicated but I come from 2016. The future," she adds, looking at the woman's floor length cotton dress.

Cassia inhales sharply and then a huge grin breaks over her face. She reaches behind her and begins slapping the back of her hand against the chest of someone Bonnie can only vaguely see.

"It worked! It worked!"

Her excitement is strangely adorable but Bonnie is confused. "What worked? Are – are you in a prison world too?"

Cassia frowns and slowly shakes her head, not understanding. "You have my device, I can feel it is the same one. You also carry my talisman," she points at her neck and Bonnie realises the woman is wearing one too. Again an exact copy.

Her stomach flips over but the woman carries on speaking. "I was successful this time because you hold my items. There has to be a point of contact, something to join us together through the years," she muses with a scientist's scrutiny but Bonnie barely hears.

"Are you Qetsiyah?"

"I am, though I go by Cassia," she smiles, eyes narrowing. "You know of me?"

"I…I'm one of your descendants," she says and Qetsiyah – Cassia – smiles again, looking back again at the person who Bonnie can only make out faintly. Someone tall, a man.

"Our children endure for millennia. Another connection," she says and turns back to Bonnie, who suspects with a sick feeling who the man is and with this realisation the truth of what is happening finally hits her. She has not just glimpsed into another prison world, she is conversing with a witch who lived two thousand years ago.

"Is this time travel?" Hadn't Kai said this offhandedly, the awesome power that her ancestor and his had mastered?

"Of a sorts. My husband and I created the device to observe times long past and what might be. We had only been successful in capturing moments, entire worlds that endure but repeat from sunset to sunrise. _Only_ those days when we used the devices. This – this is a miracle," she shudders out a breath, success and pride written over her face.

"So the other worlds, they were a mistake? There's more than one?"

"Yes. An unforeseen side effect but now I see maybe I was wrong. You reside in one now?" she paces back and forth, like a panther. Power radiates off the woman and Bonnie remembers the stories about the witch that children are told to scare them, morality tales about the danger of disregarding boundaries. This woman cursed them all because she had been scorned…

"I'm in a world but – but only half here," she says and explains as best she can about her mind being separated from her body but Cassia interrupts, nodding.

"That is how I am here. I only ever send a part of myself through the nexus device, to send my body too would be dangerous."

Bonnie steps closer, eyes alight. "How do you send your mind back?"

"Don't you know?"

"No," she shakes her head, gripping the talisman and device tightly. Her ancestor smiles at her with pity.

"You must free your mind from the world you are in. Your body, the magic within it, will strive to reel it back."

"But how?"

"You must die," she says softly and then watches Bonnie's face carefully. "Close to death your mind and body will reunite like two drops of water."

Bonnie stares at the witch but her mind is focused on memories. The first day she had been here she had heard Kai and Shane, as if they were right beside her but not since that day had she felt anything similar. She had almost died, her heart had stopped…

"Die here? But – but I'm just a projection."

"Your mind will make it real, become adrift in the void, and your body will act accordingly to rescue you."

The Void? "But what if my mind does not come back?" the image of her consciousness lost on the wind like a balloon, being blown further and further away makes her feel nauseous.

"You have to fight to return," she shrugs, as if this is normal for her, nothing of consequence. Bonnie frowns heavily.

"I have to leave soon. This world is bleeding at the seams, they all are. I didn't choose to come here, the device that you're holding; in the future it becomes unstable. It's devouring magic. Can't you feel how powerful it is compared to yours?"

Cassia shakes her head in confusion, looking at the device in her hand which looks new and not oozing with magic like the one in the real world. She turns to the man beside her, speaking quietly. Bonnie tries to make him out but she just has an impression of a strong body and hears nothing.

"Is that Silas?"

Cassia looks back, distracted. "Yes. She knows of you husband…yes your renowned glory cast its light even into the murk of the future," she rolls her eyes, laughing and Bonnie looks between the two figures. Whatever time they inhabit it is clear the couple are not enemies yet.

"You're married?"

"Yes, recently. I am also with child or do you know that too?" she asks with a mischievous glint and Bonnie looks at the slight curve to the woman's stomach. Cassia places her hand there. "Twins."

Bonnie nods and gives the clearly happy woman a struggling smile. "Congratulations. I suppose it runs in the family?"

At this Qetsiyah's smile drops like a brick and something dark shutters her eyes. She cocks her head and lowers her hand. "For everyone's sake let us hope that is the only thing emulated," she fingers the talisman, scraping her nails down it. Shane had told her it was made from the bone of a witch who wronged her.

"He made that for you? A gift?"

"Not a gift, a promise. Vows should be kept at all cost and when they are not…a price must be paid. His brother, his twin, learned that the hard way. He broke a promise, betrayed me as no woman should have to endure and his magic was taken in turn, along with his life. Now my husband is twice as strong, our coven without equal."

The merge. It seems it had not been done as a quest for power but as a tool of revenge. She had wondered what wrong had made Silas kill his own twin and curve out his breast bone but now looking at the broken but furious look on the woman's face Bonnie can guess. Silas takes her hand, whispering something and she leans back against him. How can these two become enemies? Splitting their coven in two and inciting war in the process? The love on her face is fierce and pure, the kind that would topple empires but Silas…he is unknown, a betrayer like his dead twin. He will betray his wife, his children and coven. If Kai made her a promise would he break it?

_No, he'd die before that…_

Cassia tilts her head at the anguished look on Bonnie's face. "You are so troubled…Fear not, you will be free, I promise. Are you married?"

Bonnie nods stiffly. "He's the Gemini leader, like Silas. It was arranged."

"Gemini?" she asks and Bonnie laughs tiredly.

"Sorry, guess you haven't settled on a name yet…" she looks at the window and sees the sun is almost setting. Kai will be expecting her soon, to tell her if the attempt to free the thirteen witches is successful. _Thirteen,_ the number rings faintly though her mind again.

"I must go soon, speaking with you over such a distance is draining. But there is so much that I wish to know. You are married to a leader? The same position and coven as my husband?" she asks and looks back, speaking with Silas and she smiles. "Gemini. He loves the name, he thanks you for the suggestion."

"He – he's welcome?" This is bizarre, so very bizarre. "You're using your power to connect to me? Can I do the same?"

"Not with the type of magic you wield," she states simply and Bonnie recalls the legends that Silas and Qetsiyah used a rare and dark form of magic. _Thirteen_.

"Thirteen sacrifices," Bonnie blurts out, the number finally making sense. She shocks the witch momentarily before a crafty look comes over her face.

"What do you know if it?"

"Something – something happened to my family, my coven. Thirteen witches went missing, they used the ascendant in your hand and I think ended up in another world. A dangerous place filled with monsters. They – they may be dead," Bonnie explains and Cassia's eyebrow lift but she says nothing so Bonnie carries on. "Thirteen other witches, each from a different coven, were attacked by the same device, their magic siphoned."

"Siphoned?"

"It consumes magic, like some witches do," Bonnie explains but again Cassia looks mystified and Bonnie realises that no siphoners exist for this woman yet. She looks at the pregnant stomach and wonders. "It seems a big conscience. Thirteen."

"The number to create a circle, of course, but this sounds like a sacrifice. Not a full triangle, yet," she adds thoughtfully and it's Bonnie's turn to look confused and Cassia explains. "From what you have explained two sacrifices have been made, using two groups of magic. A third of another thirteen would create a nexus of rare and powerful magic that only I and my beloved wield. It is pure, sprung from death and controlled by a witch's focus and will. It is the power of divinity," she says with a sweet smile that makes Bonnie wants to throw up. It's the kind of smile a queen would wear standing on the heaped bones of her enemies. Sated and content with bloody victory.

"Dark magic."

"No. It is power, a thing that wants to be used, a thing born out of death but holds the embers of life. Many have tried to harness it's might but most are consumed. You must have a complete iron will but also a hungry heart, always seeking and creating, always expressing your desire for something more…but you must restore balance for the blood spilt. That is where others failed, you must wield it to appease nature, not overthrow. How do you think we are even conversing now or hold that device in your hand?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

Qetsiyah smiles and shrugs. "You're the one you asked about thirteen…and maybe I see a heart once like mine. It can withstand much."

Bonnie looks down, the bone hot in her other hand. "So – so using this to travel in time was a way to restore balance?"

"To right a wrong, yes but I think somethings nature will not yield," she says with a bitter resignation, tapping the bone before she sighs. She does look exhausted. "Three sacrifices of magic will render the user of the nexus point transformed forever."

"They'll be able to use the device as it was intended?" the thought that someone has been orchestrating these sacrifices to use the device, the nexus point as Qetsiyah calls it, sends a chill through Bonnie. What witch is it and why? These questions whirling around her head Bonnie realises with a shock that Qetsiyah and the cave beyond is starting to fade, ghostlike. As the witch moves Bonnie realises that she knows exactly where the cave is, a hole in the floor suddenly visible.

"You – you should stay away from that place," she says and Qetsiyah turns to her.

"Why?"

"The hole, it – it looks dangerous."

"It is. It is a gap in the world, a way to another place perhaps. That is why we have been studying it, built a home on this island."

"You should seal it off and walk away," Bonnie says significantly, eyes flicking to the curved stomach and Cassia stops and looks at her intensely.

"Why? What do you know?"

"Just – just look after your children, your coven. I know you're happy now, you're in love but…"

"But? Is there a reason I should not be in love?" she asks sharply, eyes blazing and Bonnie wishes she had kept her mouth shut. Silas still hovers behind and Bonnie can feel him staring at her just as fiercely. That asshole will one day betray Qetsiyah, will be unfaithful…But in return she will kill his bastard children in retaliation. Because of this war will be fought which will almost destroy her coven and take them generations to rebuild. The Travellers, that's what they use to be called.

"I – I can't say. I shouldn't have said anything, forget it, please?" she begs but the idea, the suspicion has already been cast in her ancestor's mind like a disease. She mutters something behind her and after a hesitating moment Silas leaves the cave.

 _Oh god, what have I done? Have I just made it happen?_ These thoughts bleating through her head she watches as Cassia, such an unassuming name for one of the most powerful witches in history, turns back to her.

"You will tell me more."

"I can't."

"You shall or I will drag you from that world and into mine. Do you doubt I have the power?" she asks dangerously and Bonnie is on alert at once. Behind Cassia the fire flares high and the witch looks back. "Amara, easy girl," she says gently and whoever had stoked the flames calms, the view out of focus as the rest of the cave. She looks back at Bonnie. She is tired but once rested Bonnie has no doubt the woman would punch a hole in reality to get more answers from her. The witch is dangerous, why had she forgotten this? Vampires walk the earth because of the immortality potion she creates and passes down to her followers. Bonnie's own coven.

"Listen, whatever I tell you will likely just make a future happen that should not. Trust me you are better off not knowing."

"You know this future so it _has_ happened. It is the past for you. If it is something to avoid then tell me how," she says reasonably and Bonnie feels stuck. If she was on a path towards catastrophe wouldn't she wants something to point her towards a better one? But how can she make infidelity right? The dye may have already been cast.

"I – I'll tell you one thing if you tell me how you can send yourself into the worlds as a projection. The spell you use."

Cassia smiles, a sharp but amused stretch of her lips. "Fine." She rattles the spell off and then repeats it thrice more. Bonnie murmurs it, trying to remember and then looks steadily at Cassia.

"One day you're going to be angry, so angry that you'll lose your mind. Someone will betray you but you won't kill them, you'll just make them suffer. Everyone will suffer and we're still feeling the effects of that hurt thousands of years later. You make it so covens have to marry people they do not know or love…I don't think there's anything I can tell you that will change that from happening. I suppose I can only ask you to take a moment when the hurt and rage subsides to think about me, where I am and where you are and…forgive."

"Forgive? Who?"

"That's for you to decide. You're not the only one hurting, your curse touches everyone," she whispers, fingering the bone talisman and Qetsiyah looks down at her own. "You will be wronged but what you do in retaliation is beyond forgiveness…it would take years to amend, if at all…but maybe that's what will free you and us." Don't they say that her spirit still watches from the Other Side, angry and hurting?

"What are you saying?"

"Reconcile with those you've wronged."

"So you are suggesting that to reach a happy future my husband must forgive me and I him for a wrongdoing that has yet to occur?" she asks shrewdly. Bonnie had only alluded to Silas but Qetsiyah has put it together. Bonnie opens her mouth and closes it. Incredulous impatience radiates off the witch. She wants to know everything and looks like she will crack open Bonnie's head to get it. She takes a step forward and Bonnie backs up.

"Don't come any closer," she says warily but the ancient witch keeps moving, throwing out a hand but Bonnie runs. Both are just projections but Bonnie knows that her ancestor could drag her mind through time and into another world if she set her own mind to it. So she runs from the palace, scattering pieces of the ascendant in her wake in an effort to sever the link. Qetsiyah does not run, she materialises from one spot to another but as the last piece tumbles to the grass Bonnie looks behind and Qetsiyah vanishes. And so does the palace. Where the once grand and massive building stood now towering trees sway in the mist.

"No…" Bonnie stops, oak and ash surrounding her. The land is wild and uncultivated, the leaves touched with autumn and they crackle under her foot as she walks through the mist. The Gemini palace is completely gone, not even the neat gardens remain. She is no longer in 1994 or even 1903 but an age much, much older.

* * *

**Triangles**

Trying to keep her panic under control she retraces her steps and collects the scattered pieces of the ascendant, fixing them back together. However as she does the talisman around her neck throbs and Bonnie hesitates, even as the Gemini palace begins to emerge very faintly though the fog. Maybe putting the pieces together will pave a way for Qetsiyah to return? Bonnie looks down at the talisman and then takes it off and places it in her pocket. It is a tether to the witch, maybe more than the device. Bonnie reassembles the ascendant but the witch and the palace do not appear, just a ghost like glimpse of windows through the mist that disappear when she gets close.

Tired and depressed Bonnie slumps against a tree overlooking the obscured Thames. At least she's still in the same place. She closes her eyes, willing herself to sleep but a creak of a branch sends her jerking upright.

 _Am I really getting spooked by the threat of an old witch? I'm a witch for god's sake…_ Grouchy she closes her eyes and evens her breathing, concentrating on the air passing through her nose and into her lungs until her mind drifts into a dark chamber and the waiting owner…

"Kai?" Bonnie looks around the dream room, Kai's apartment in Portland, but finds it empty. Getting out of bed she walks out of the bedroom and sees him sitting in an armchair overlooking the Pacific. Panic and fear that had been clawing at her disappear as she quickly goes to him and he stands, enfolding her against his chest. Bonnie begins telling him what had happened, her words rushed and breathless and he looks down at her face with a frown but says nothing until she tells him about the palace disappearing.

"I'm still in London but it's before the palace was built. I think thousands of years before," she says and he nods grimly.

"I think you're seeing the world that the Greek device is truly attached to. Just a projection, like you…" he sighs and sits down in the armchair, bringing her down with him. He had listened to her quietly but now that she has stopped she focuses on him, noting his drawn face and eyes that can barely look at her.

"What's wrong?"

"While you were dealing with the Blair Witch I was having my own fun," he says and rubs his face and finally looks her in the eye and Bonnie knows.

"The siphoning didn't work, did it?"

"It started to and we almost had them out but then the ballroom started…warping in and out of reality. One moment it was there and the next there was…nothing," he inhales, gaze unfocused and Bonnie wonders if that happened when she had assembled her version of the ascendant. She suspects it did and her heart clenches.

"What happened?"

"The ballroom is stable now, no magic running wild but contained to the device. All pieces are completely fused," he trails his fingers down her back gently. "I thought when the room disappeared I'd never see you again. I was more upset about that then…" he trails off, catching her gaze for a moment before looking out of the window. He holds her tight.

"Then what? Are – are the witches okay?"

"They're all dead," he whispers, looking at her finally and Bonnie inhales a sharp pained breath, shaking her head in denial.

"No. You said no one can die in the palace."

"They couldn't, until now. My family put layers of protection spells over the place, years and years worth, but the device just peeled them off like it was nothing. I think a siphoner could sap those spells away but the effort would take years. It did it in ten minutes."

Bonnie gazes at him in appalled silence until she finds her voice. "Luka Martin was one of them. Oh my god…" she had often ignored Luka, finding his interest in her irksome but he had been kind, a good man and now he was dead. She thinks of his mother and father, who were already dealing with the absence of their daughter. Greta, who has now lost a twin. They never got time to reconcile.

"This is my fault," she says and stands up, tears in her eyes and Kai stands with her, shaking his head. "I assembled the ascendant and even as a projection it was enough to make the one in the real world access their magic. It killed them."

"Yes _it_ killed them not you. I don't think you putting it together in the prison world made a difference. Once it fused it attacked, like it knew. This wasn't your fault."

Bonnie says nothing, listening to him contradicting himself to ease her quilt. He had feared what would happen if she assembled the shadow device, not for fear of the witches' lives but her own. He draws her stiff body back into his arms. She may never know if she is to blame but one thing she knows for certain.

"Qetsiyah now suspects Silas and that will lead to war. Prison worlds exist because of it. If I had just kept my mouth shut…"

Kai looks down at her with an angry expression. "Again that's not your fault. If she's as clever and scary as you say then she would have found out without you."

But she cannot accept it. "I made it happen and nothing you're about to say will make me reconsider," she says harshly and he says nothing, just clenches his jaw. Bonnie presses her forehead against his chest, twining her arms around his back. She feels limp. She stays like for a long time, until her tears stop, soaking into his shirt. "I'm guessing the Summit has been called?" So many witches dead from so many covens would constitute an emergency. The Armoury must be working overtime.

Kai nods as she looks up at him. "Yeah, it's being held in London. Family members are coming to collect their dead. I've got wives and children coming who didn't even know that their loved ones were witches so finding a way to break that to them will be…interesting," he smiles briefly and drops it, gaze haunted.

Bonnie frowns. "Why wouldn't their families know they were witches?"

Kai blinks rapidly and his mouth parts before he grips her arms. "Sorry I thought you understood. Thirteen witches were siphoned to death but thirteen siphoners were connected to them when it happened. I told you what happens when two siphoning powers come into contact. The weaker…"

"Implodes. The siphoners are dead too," she whispers and he nods sadly before directing her towards a couch. She sits weakly beside him, trying to process the scope. "Those poor people, they just wanted to help."

Kai makes a strangled noise and she looks at him. He rubs his forehead with his thumb, looking deeply guilty. "No, most of them didn't want to help but they were the most powerful I could find. They – they agreed mostly for two reasons: money and to be left alone. I agreed but I know if they flat out refused I'd chain them to those witches and force feed them…" he stares at her with a desperate need that makes her breath catch.

"But you didn't."

"What good is my conscience now? They're dead. I think my coven would be content to just dump them in a big hole on the grounds, they're nothing to them…" his mouth snarls in disgust. "I'll speak to their families personally, I'll provide for them, if they'll accept," he looks into the distance but Bonnie barely hears and they fall into a heavy silence. She finally lifts a hand and taps her index finger against the pad of her left thumb.

"Bennett coven. Thirteen witches sacrificed."

"Possibly yeah," he answers, frowning slightly but she carries on, tapping the next finger.

"Thirteen witches from thirteen high covens that make up the summit, excluding ours."

"Right…"

"And thirteen witches from the Gemini."

Kai snorts. "That claim will be contested but yeah, thirteen Gemini siphoners. What are you thinking?"

Bonnie leans forward and a pen and paper appear on the coffee table. She draws three small spirals. "Qetsiyah said that the power that she and Silas use was possible through sacrifices, a ritual that gave them access to the type of power that makes it possible to create immortality. They got it wrong sometimes, they were experimenting, but that magic made it possible."

"You're thinking they sacrificed 39 witches to get that power?" he asks and Bonnie shrugs, pointing at each of the circles she had drawn and then using the pen she links the symbolic sacrifices together, creating a triangle.

"She said it all converges into a nexus point," she draws a small star in the middle and Kai nods when she leans back.

"The ascendant. So you think someone is making sure these accidents happen, to get this magic? Who?"

"I don't know but they have succeeded. The nexus point must be waiting now," Bonnie says and Kai's eyes gleam.

"No one has touched the ascendant, especially as it's fused with my one. They're still considering sealing the room," he says but takes her hand at her look of worry. "I won't let that happen."

"No witch can touch it Kai, not even you."

He pouts a little. "Not even together? We'd be unstoppable," his eyes gloss over with hunger at the idea but at the look on her face he laughs hoarsely. "I'm joking. Once you're back if you want to seal the room into another dimension then we'll do that. Though you agreeing with my dad again gives me the creeps."

His father had not been charged yet but told not to leave the palace, effectively under house arrest. Armoury witches shadow him day and night. Kai finds the whole thing delightful.

"We'll seal it together." Bonnie smiles and cocks her head. "I can get out," she confides softly and he goes still, eyes narrowing.

"What?"

"She told me how to but…well it doesn't matter how but I can do it," she nods with determination even as he continues to gaze at her carefully.

"How?"

"It doesn't matter."

"How, Bonnie?"

"I…I heard you before, do you remember? It was like you were right next to me. I almost died and I was almost free, almost back to you but I didn't know it. That's how I get back."

"…By dying? What?" he snarls, drawing back but she keeps hold of him.

"I know this will work, you have to trust me."

"I don't trust _her_. She's a special type of crazy! You think she was telling you the truth? She could have been lying."

"She wasn't," she responds confidently, her mind hiccupping a little in doubt but she feels sure that her ancestor had been truthful. "My mind dies here and it'll be pulled right back to the real world. I think you might need to move my body so it's in the gardens, it might make the process easier."

"Process? God you're really gonna do it aren't you?" he utters, his features drawn with fear but his eyes ignite with fury.

"Do you have a better idea?"

"Yeah, I do. If you're so sure this will work then you won't mind me coming along for the ride," he says, standing and Bonnie blinks.

"What do you mean?"

"We'll wake up in the grass together. Or are you thinking about flinging yourself into the river?"

"This isn't a joke. If you send yourself here, even as a projection, you have to touch the ascendant." What might that do to him? It just killed scores of witches like it was nothing.

"I'll be fine." He waves a dismissive hand, searching through the apartment for something and she stands.

Bonnie grabs his arm, swinging him around to her. " _I'll_ be fine Kai. Please, it's not worth it," she pleads and all the dismissal and lightness vanishes in a blink. He pulls her to him, his teeth bared.

"You're worth everything to me. You're not doing this alone," he says and then leans down to kiss her fiercely. Bonnie struggles as she sees his hand reaching out but not for his totem but hers. He picks up the snow globe and Bonnie fights him for it, breaking the kiss.

"You don't have to do this!"

"Where exactly are you right now?" he demands, snow globe in his hands. He threatens to drop it and she gasps. If he smashes it she will awaken and she will not be able to stop him. "Where are you?!"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I've died alone and I won't let you go through that. You blamed yourself for what happened but you wouldn't be facing this choice now if it wasn't for me. If Luke had lived you and I would never be. I can't change that but I can be with you when you need me. Tell me where you are?"

Bonnie gazes at his fierce face, at eyes that flame with a love that borders on madness but through it all his conviction is rocksteady. Her life is worth more than his and always will. He will prove that to the end, if she lets him.

"…I'm on the hill overlooking the Thames. The place we watched the sunset on your birthday."

He nods, exhaling. "Don't move," he says, kissing her forehead and then she hears the impact of the snow globe shattering on the floor and the water splashing her feet and legs makes her gasp and look down.

* * *

Dewy grass tickles her feet as Bonnie jerks awake. The fog that had been obscuring the river is gone and the tree above her is heavy with pink blossom. A warm spring day.

"Well May 10th, 1994 sucks in every country," a voice says and she spins around to find Kai leaning against a tree. "But at least one thing makes up for it," he grins and despite the anger and fear that he was now trapped along with her Bonnie leaps into his arms, kissing him feverishly. Clinging to each other they sinks down to the grass, not letting go. They remain this way until the sun begins to sink towards the horizon. They speak softly, serious and after a tight hug they come to an agreement. They will eat, watch the sunset and fall asleep and when they wake…

"Are you okay? The ascendant didn't do anything to you?"

"Nope. I think it's full. Oh man I would've loved it if it tried to siphon me and I made it barf. Ha, imagine?" he says with a wicked contemplation as Bonnie grimaces lightly. The berries they had eaten had been bitter and stained their fingers and mouths red. If she was in her real body she would not have kept them down but here…Kai grows serious, gazing at her gently before he lies down and she rests her head on his chest. His fingers stroke through her hair lazily. Her own fingers idly play over his chest, above his heart.

"You never said who my anchor is?"

"Oh, it's your dad. He's waiting for you back at the palace. So is Elena and Caroline, she arrived this morning," he says and Bonnie smiles, warmth thumping in her chest. When they return her loved ones will be there waiting. All of them.

Bonnie looks at Kai as his blinks sleepily and she knows the fruit is starting to work. She only feels comfortably heavy, no pain. "I want to tell you something when I wake up but if something doesn't go right I…" She trails off when she realises his eyes are closed. She smiles, lowering her head back down and whispers the words before a comforting darkness settles over the buttery light of the setting sun…

* * *

She drifts in the dark, without weight or form but the elusive spark that burns in her mind flickers. She could float in this oblivion forever, content to be cast this way and that like a leaf but something disrupts the peace. It nags, tugging like something caught on a nail and will not let her go.

There was a place she had to be, a person she had to meet…the dark rolls back and a shape takes form, something round and old and she can see others like it, like beads along a string. It shines like a gold sun. A world, a world brimming with magic, so much that it can hardly contain it. It's drowning…Figures swarm over the land in packs, a multitude that soak up magic like sponges. They try but there is just too much. They want more, the thirteen offerings are dead.

 _What are they…?_ The thought is faint but inquisitive. They flash and glow in the dark like magma, these monsters but how can monsters look so innocent? They're just children, children who have been thrown down a dark hole and stuck in time. They were taken, their absence barely leaving a hole in the heart. They are forgotten. Truth stabs through her like a hundreds knives.

 _They took my children…but these are not mine. These are something else._ Those hungry minds whirl with heretic notions, ancient and cruel. They can feel her, a seed of magic in the void and they would pluck her out and present her at harvest to the sleeping emperor.

Silas is more stone then flesh now, sitting on a throne. Still handsome and so familiar… Another throne is carved beside his but it sits empty. Waiting. He does not move but his blood runs with immortality like a vibrant disease and in his hand... _the cure._ He does not speak but he will once the empress is by his side again. Mother and father.

Bonnie gets close, too close and she is tugged back violently and the handsome sleeping king and the heretics are gone. She has to find someone…no she has to _save_ someone and she does not have much time left. Who is it?

 _Me_. She has to save herself. She must. Winding the thread that tugs her through the dark between worlds she pulls herself along, inch by inch and the effort is like dragging a world on her back. She has to give a man something, something precious and delicate, something that can grow and thrive if she gives it room in her heart…

Just give it form, give it shape. Take a breath and speak.

* * *

"…I love you."

Bonnie lifts her head, inhaling a breath and looks at the swollen river rolling below. Blissful peace settles over her mind like mist but she recalls something, a truth that drifts away like a dream until she only has a faint nagging certainty that it was something important. It dissolves, forgotten… Bonnie looks up at the tree they lie under and she begins to grin and laugh with delight. The blossom is gone because spring has past. It's summer time in London. They are free.

"Kai. Look, we're back," she looks down and frowns. He sleeps below her, head turned to the side as before but his breathing comes in long, shallow drags. Bonnie rubs his chest, calling his name. He had once been unsure that he could return from the prison world because Bonnie was his anchor but he came anyway. However she is free and he should follow.

Panic tearing through her control Bonnie rubs the gold band on her left hand, not knowing if it will work but she pours all her fear, desperation and magic into it. With a cry of his name she slaps her hands against his chest angrily.

"Wake up!" Bonnie grips his shoulders and with a lurch she realises that he has stopped breathing. "No, please. No, you said it was fine. Please," she begs, gripping the talisman and then notices the ascendant in his hand. It is changed, merged and warped into a larger device. Desperate she grabs it and begins chanting, drawing on a power that begins as a trickle but then suddenly unleashes a torrent.

"What?" one guttural word is all she gets out before magic like she had never imagined roars through her body and mind, stripping her empty before filling her up, replacing the blocked magic she had been channelling her whole life with something else. It is not dark, Qetsiyah had been right, but it is not light either.

Eyes white and blind she gasps into the summer sky, one hand clawing at his chest. Black veins crawl up her arms, flowing through her blood like ichor and she gives an ecstatic moan, teeth snapping in ecstasy, body and mind riding a current of pure power. All thought but one flounder in that rush and it is the thing that Bonnie Bennett clings to.

 _Live_.

Everything else sacrificed to the thing in her hand, to the world beyond, is dead, even her poor cousin but she will not be next and neither will he. Her love for him is a fragile, shy thing growing in the middle of that inferno but it remains untouched. She can smoother it, rip it out and leave a hole and it would be easy because it is so new, so delicate but covered with thorns. It would _hurt_. It is tied with a thin but unbreakable cord to something growing in him. His love has no end or beginning, it grows so deep and wild that trying to pull it up would only break her and smothering it would burn her. Any attempts are futile, he will love her until nothing is left but that monument. He keeps it with a tender and confused regard as careful as her own.

 _He loves me more…_ the thought is soft and true and she would feel ashamed but the thought is gone in a moment. Death flows into her, rushing through her veins and she could blissfully take more in but nature demands a balance and so she gives it. The ascendant, now white hot and whirling, offers a life from a multitude and she picks at random, a speck in a crowd, a one in a trillion. Life and death converge, a gentle kiss, and then part ways.

Kai gasps, sucking in precious air and his heart beats wildly, blood pumping through his body which shakes and shudders below her. Trembling with power she looks down and Kai's eyes widen, growing bigger and bigger and he looks frightened. Has she ever seen him look truly scared? Of her? She bends down, touching his face with hands that start to fade back to normal.

"It's me. I love you, as fragile and defensive as it is. I do love you…"

He sighs, a very soft smile on his mouth but his eyes are still wide and stark. "Bonnie…what did you do?" he asks, trying to sit up and Bonnie frowns, leaning back and looks down at the cooling device in her hand. She lets it tumble to the grass.

"I don't know…I feel strange," she confesses and as the power that had been flowing through her subsides it takes her strength with it. With a look of fear and confusion she opens her mouth to speak but sways, Kai reaching for her as she faints.

* * *

**Expression**

She sleeps for days and awakens to find her friends and family sitting around her. Silence settles over the room, no one moving or saying a word until Bonnie sucks in a breath and then bursts into tears. Her father gathers her up in his arms, his deep voice soothing. She had not heard his voice for such a long time that the sound of it makes her cry harder, clutching at his shoulders as if she will never let go.

"I really missed you. I love you."

"I love you too. I will always love you…and I'll always be here when you need me," he pulls back and wipes the tears from her face with the back of his fingers. He smiles, green eyes gleaming wet. "When you're feeling better your room back home is waiting for you," he says and with a shuddering relief Bonnie realises she wants nothing more than to slip into her old bed, clutching Miss Cuddles and think about nothing. Rudy stands reluctantly but she does not get much time to breathe when she is tackled by a tumbling cascade of long brown hair and blonde curls.

"Bonnie! We thought you'd never wake up!"

"Well you know she's a heavy sleeper Caroline. Remember when she almost missed our SATs?"

"A month is Bonnie's personal best. Maybe you can go in a record book?"

Bonnie smiles, brushing hair away from her face and looks up at her two best friends. "You're both hilarious." She grins, laughing and their beaming faces grow soft.

"We were really worried. When Kai contacted us we thought…it doesn't matter now because you're okay!" Caroline adds enthusiastically, hiding her fear and Bonnie says nothing. She sits up, hugging her friends and then whispers.

"So, what do you think?"

"Of Kai? I wanted to rip his head off for kidnapping you but he says it was actually the other way around? He talks more than I do. I think I annoy him a little? He teases us mercilessly doesn't he Elena? But then he made us the best food I have ever tasted and baked these little cupcakes with my name on it and sang to you while you were asleep. I was spying on him so don't tell him I saw that," Caroline rattles off, casting a suspicious look back. Kai is not in the room. Bonnie turns to Elena.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me, honestly. I'm just happy that you're awake and in one piece," she smiles, giving her a hug but Bonnie knows Elena is withholding something painful. Before she would have intuitions about these feelings but this is something that she can _see_. A halo of sickly green ripples around her friend's head. Apprehension. Fear. She can almost smell it.

She looks away and focuses on their faces. "Will you come back home with me?"

"Home? Of course," Caroline nods and then Bonnie looks at Elena sharply. That halo flares.

"Is Klaus still after you?"

Elena licks her lips and pushes her hair behind her ear. "Yes but he's agreed to work with Elijah. They've found another Original to test the unlinking spell on. They'll need my blood but I'm only working with Elijah. He's the only one I trust."

Bonnie nods and with a swoop of shock she can feel the Original vampire a floor below. He has the same strange magic keeping him undead and ticking as Caroline does.

"The Gemini don't usually let vampires into their buildings."

"I know and I wouldn't be able to enter but Kai gave his express permission. He owns this place," Caroline says with awe and some jealously and looks at Bonnie with wide eyes. "You really are like royalty Bonnie, I never really got that until I came here."

"I don't feel like it," now she feels like nothing she can name. Not a human, not even a witch as she knows it. She is…more. As her friends sit back she lets her senses spread a little, through the floors and like a magnet she find the nexus point, the ascendant. It vibrates slightly and waves of subtle magic pulse from it. It is asleep, like a purring cat but as she concentrates she can hear it too. It _sings_. How has she never heard it before?

"Bonnie? Earth to Bonnie," Elena says and the witch shakes her head and looks at her friend. Elena Gilbert, the human of the group but even that is wrong. Magic runs through her blood as surely as it does Caroline, collecting in her womb, waiting to be shaped and born again. Doppelgänger. Grimacing she closes her eyes, overwhelmed and worry spikes through her friends. It's pungent.

"I think my granddaughter need some time to…settle," Sheila Bennett says and Bonnie reaches out for her. Taking her hand she feels the well-worn and powerful magic lapping against her skin and she wonders if this is what it feels like for Kai. There is no hunger, it is just there, a constant presence like the sea below a bridge. It hurts to pull her hand away but the feel of it, so familiar and not, is too much. The power in her is slumbering but it is so alien, so completely different from what she once used it makes her shake. What happens when it wakes?

_What is wrong with me? Where is Kai?_

_…_ _I'm down stairs_ , Kai responds into her mind and she feels his surprise _. I thought you'd want time with your family. Do you need me?_

 _…_ _Not yet. Deal with the families of the dead,_ she thinks with a business like tone and feels his squirm of unease. He had not told her he was dealing with the siphoners relatives. He didn't need to, she can feel their grief filling the palace like gas. Bonnie tries to focus and looks at her grandmother, who has been witching her in silent worry. Bonnie tries to smile.

"I'm okay."

"No you're not. When you're ready to talk I'll be here. I'm proud of you child," she says and leans over to kiss Bonnie's brows. Bonnie inhales the honey like scent of her grandmother, the woman who practically raised her and tries not to cry.

"I'm home. I'm really home."

"Yes you are and it'll always be there waiting for you. Now I have to get ready for the damn Summit meeting," she says and Bonnie gasps, but her grandmother holds up a hand. "I'll deal with it. You need to settle, like I said."

Not get better, not rest or anything else. _Settle_.

"Settle into what?"

"When you figure that out tell me," she answers cagily and for the thousandth time Bonnie feels that her grandmother knows more than she says. She is tempted to extend that awareness that spools out from her but a stab of guilt makes her stop. She won't do that to her grams.

"I'm gonna get dressed, stretch my legs and make something to eat," Bonnie says and after another kiss Sheila leaves. Bonnie groans, arching her back on the bed and the magic in her seems to do the same. It has rested and would also like to stretch.

 _Of course it does, it's me_ …Bonnie ignores this thought and gets dressed, picking out a lavender sundress that hangs below her knees. The weather is hot and the grounds bask in sunshine. Smiling she leaves her room and then almost knocks a man down.

"Sorry," Atticus gasps, reaching out a hand to stop her falling. At the contact she flinches, expecting to feel another cascade of sensations but she feels nothing. He is human, just an ordinary human with a fading yellow bruise over his right eye. Kai's work. Bonnie sighs and does not let go of his arm.

"Hey stranger."

"Boss," he smiles but his eyes rove over her features as if he has not seen her in a long time and she knows with a flash that he has not. Kai has kept him away from her, made him look day and night for a way to bring her back. He would have done it gladly but still his gaze drinks her in.

"…You shouldn't look at me like that," she says softly, gently and she thinks that he will cast his eyes to the floor, look embarrassed but he does none of those things. His lips curl a little and his green eyes, usually soft, are penetrating.

"Sorry I just haven't seen you for awhile…how do you feel?" he asks lightly and Bonnie wants to lie but it will not come. She still grips his arm, getting blessedly nothing from him. Just ordinary sensations. Air in and out, blood pumping and brain firing. Normal. Everything she is not.

"I feel…different. I saved Kai, I think he was dead and I saved him. I did something."

"What?" he asks softly, eyes unblinking and she could get hypnotised by that look.

"I saved him with strange magic. It shouldn't have been possible…but I did it."

"You love him," he says as softly as before and there is no jealousy or bitterness there. Just stating a fact. "When you realise how much someone means to you…there's nothing you won't do. You'll be surprised the things you can accomplish."

"Even humans?"

"Even dopey humans," he says and they laugh and Bonnie feels Kai approaching even before she sees him. He pauses, hearing them. Shane inhales, smiling and then leans down to kiss her cheek. "You're going to be okay Bonnie. I think you'll do just fine."

"Thank you…" she senses Kai leaving and her heart thumps. She squeezes her adviser's hands and leaves him in the hallway, going after her husband. She keeps her distance as she follows him through the gardens and to the tree they woke up under.

"Kinda feel like you're avoiding me," she says as he looks at the river, hands in his pockets.

"…I haven't left your side until this morning," he says quietly as she comes to a stop beside him. "The human families of the siphoners came and no one would face them or answer their questions. They were… grief stricken, angry and bewildered and most refused the monthly instalments but some took it. They're just average, normal people and I ruined their lives," he sighs sadly, shaking his head and finally looks at her.

"You didn't know what would happen and in the end it was their choice. Looking out for those families when no one else will is a good thing. Compassion, it's what makes a great leader," she says but he doesn't seem to hear her. He makes a groaning noise, lifting his hand and it hovers by her cheek. Bonnie blinks.

"It's stronger."

"What?"

"The magic just underneath," he whispers and lowers his hands to hover them above her own. Red-orange light spills over her skin and she gasps. His magic is detectable but different to her grandmother's. His power is penetrating, wanting to consume everything but this gentle brush stirs the magic under her skin like a lover's caress.

"You can feel it? I don't understand what it is," she admits as he lowers his hands and balls them into fists. He appears to be fighting with himself, like he wants to grab her and never let go. This explains his distance.

"That power saved my life and every single person in my coven."

Bonnie opens her mouth but no words come out. Had she even thought about the price of Kai's death and who else would have to pay it? She sacrificed an unknown life for Kai but in return she had actually saved thousands, including her own. She had forced Kai's death into her body and cast it like an arrow at someone in another world, another time…

"I'm scared," she whispers and he wraps her up in his arms. "I don't understand what it is."

"I think you do. That triangle, Bon. The sacrifices. All three points connected."

"But that's dark magic, I can't use that," she says, shaking her head and Kai smiles softly down at her but it is hollow.

"I've felt it before. When I merged with Jo her eyes went utterly white and her veins looked like they were filed with ink. I looked the same. It's the same magic used during the Merge ritual but only for a moment. When I won and woke up it was gone. Seeing you like that…" he trails off and she realises that fear must have been because the last time he saw those eerie eyes it was just before his sister died.

"It's magic born from death. They all died, people I knew, for this? It's not right."

"It saved us, saved everyone. Is that dark?"

"But the cost. Some innocent person –"

Kai cuts her off, gripping her arms. "Fuck the cost. I'm glad they're dead, whoever they were," he says harshly but his expression softens at the scathing look on her face. "I know you're scared, so am I. It's unlike any magic in use and I doubt anyone else has fully accessed it for a very long time. We have to keep it a secret Bonnie."

"From who?"

"Everyone. If they find out what you can do, they'll never stop wanting to use you. The Armoury will do worse," he says seriously and Bonnie nods. He is right, the covens would never leave her in peace if they realise she can practise sacrificial magic. And it would not stop with witches either…

Bonnie inhales a deep breath and holds it, nodding firmly and then releases it. "Okay. Only you, me and Atticus knows."

"What a god damn surprise."

"Kai…" she sighs tiredly and leans against him, burying her face against his shoulder. "I wanna go home," she says, voice muffled.

"Mystic Falls?"

She nods, lifting her face and gazes into his eyes. "I missed you."

"You saw me every night," he smiles, nudging her and she shakes her head.

"It wasn't real," she says and he nods, serious. They could have wasted their lives away in dreams and that was no way to live. "You risked your life to save mine, so I wouldn't face the end alone," she whispers and he does not smile smugly or joke. Instead he cups her face and stares at her deeply

"Always."

* * *

**The Phoenix**

Months pass, filled with more funerals and memorials services than Bonnie could bare. Every solemn mourner, every account of the good times the dead once brought to the life of the living made her want to scream and weep. They had no idea that their lives had been taken to unleash the magic now pulsing inside her. It knew it was close to the dead that gave it life, she could feel it's appreciation. Kai stopped her going to any more after she almost lost control at Luka Martin's wake, making the flowers around the room wither and then burst into bloom repeatedly. Greta was now the grudging coven leader and she had stared at Bonnie as if she knew, while everyone else had been softly awed. It seems the witch made a choice between what she loved and responsibility, something they have in common.

Bonnie tries to settle into herself. It is hard, the magic flowing through her veins more capricious and wild then any magic she has experienced before. Sometimes it lies sluggish within her, like a beast too bored to move. Fickle, the thing now within her is fickle and it takes a force of iron will to master it. But it has only been a few months and whenever it slips from her grasp and runs wild she blames it on her wandering mind. That is when the power is most dangerous, when daydreams and imagination roam…

Once she imagined that she was no longer coven leader, the title now official and heavy with responsibilities. She pictured taking the heavy gold necklace and crown off and instead became a different Bonnie. Not a scholar or teacher but a dancer. She pictured herself on stage, the auditorium dark and her lone form picked out by a beam of light. She danced and danced, pouring all her frustrations and fear into it, her barely concealed excitement at the power she now wields and she had curtsied as roses fell. The roses had made her frown because she had not envisioned it, or the clap from the audience.

"Kai? What – what are you doing here? Is this a dream?" she asked as her husband sat in one of the chairs in the front row. He was in a high collared black coat, the one she loved. He grinned from ear to ear.

"I was in Portland, briefing Armoury witches on a situation in the Shanghai Tunnels when I felt this tug in my gut and suddenly I'm sitting here watching you dance. You're awesome by the way."

Bonnie smiled, ducking her chin and gave him a slow spin on the tips of her toes. He whistled like guy in a strip club and when she came closer he slid a fifty dollar bill into the ribbons around her leg. She called him an asshole and laughed, still half convinced the whole thing was a bizarre dream. She ran off the stage, Kai pursuing, and reached a fire exit and burst out onto a bustling and very real New York street. Not a dream…

Half an hour later they sit in a quiet café in the Mall, his mid length back coat covering her grey, sequined tutu and black leotard. Her feet are bare, the shoes resting under the table. She sips on coffee and sighs. They had ordered it with rum and she was getting comfortably drunk. She had stopped shaking a few minutes before but the surreal event stays with her. She had made a fantasy come to life and not even realised it. She could will anything into being, if she poured enough passion into it.

"Sure we can't go back? I've never fucked a proper ballerina before," he muses and she gives him a heavy lidded look over her coffee cup.

"And never will," she says and he laughs, sipping on his drink. His eyes sparkle at her and she cannot look away. They had not seen each other for some time, both of them busy with running their covens. The Armoury trial that convicted his father of involuntary manslaughter took up most of Kai's time but he had attended to it without fail. He had once expressed fears that accusations aimed at the Gemini would end with her dead but the retribution had never materialized. It seems the Gemini were just as angry at Joshua Parker as Kai was. Not that he inadvertently played a part in killing thirteen Bennett witches but that he lied to them about his ability…

He is now in an Armoury prison and like all prisoners denied any form of magic. He had gone to his fate with only one acknowledgement of guilt, showing no anger or fear. How Kai got his father to personally hand himself in she does not know and he will not tell her. Bonnie believed Joshua was telling the truth about it being an accident and his sentence reflects that. He will be released in a short span of years but ex-communicated from the coven he once led. Kai's crime had come to light in the investigation but no charges laid down, the length of his isolated imprisonment seen as justice served. The suspicion against Bonnie had also been dropped but she sometimes catches sight of the shadowy clad witches from time to time…

Kai visits his father like clockwork and Bonnie does not know if he does it to prove a point or for the satisfaction at seeing Joshua reduced so low. Bonnie had never gone. For the Gemini siphoners and thirteen other witches who died no punishment was laid down, the Armoury declaring it an accident. Bonnie wishes she could let it go, there was no one to accuse but the device that took their life and magic. The melded ascendant is now heavily guarded deep in the Armoury vault. It will never see the light of day again.

_…_ _I could probably grab it without anyone noticing if I think about it hard enough…_

"Bon? Bonster?"

"Hmm?" she looks at Kai, who smiles faintly at her and shakes her head. "Sorry. What did you say?"

"The phoenix exploded while we were in England. The ash is shifting and they think she'll emerge today. Wanna look?"

Bonnie agrees and follows Kai barefoot from the café, thinking about getting some shoes but the earth feels good between her toes. They weave a little, comfortably tipsy. It is late, most of the shoppers gone and shop owners closing up for the night. Leading her through the trees they come to the huge metal cage, it's perch empty. Below is a pile of ash, grey at first glance but as she peers closer she sees an iridescent sheen coating the dusty substance. More ash line the bars of the cage.

"How bad would the destruction be if this wasn't here?" she asks, curling her fingers around a bar and Kai grins.

"They'd be nothing left of this place and we'd be ash shadows on a wall. I want one," he sighs with longing and Bonnie laughs.

"But they weren't always caged and I never heard of them destroying places."

"This one is very, very old. I suppose it must be dangerous otherwise it wouldn't be in there," he finishes and looks at the cage with a muted expression and Bonnie doesn't have to read his mind to know what he is thinking.

"We're not breaking a baby phoenix out Kai."

"What? I didn't say anything," he retorts and looks back at the cage, a faint smile tugging his lips. Bonnie looks down and then gasps as the ash starts to shift. They both become very still, holding their breath as more ash falls but the hairless and blind bird she imagined does not appear. Instead an egg pokes through the cinders, it's smooth shell black and speckled with gold whirls.

"I didn't know they hatched?" she whispers, not knowing why and Kai opens his mouth to answer when the ash gives another shake and another egg appears. This one is a shimmering silver-white.

"Twins?" Kai whispers and Bonnie shrugs. She heard once that a phoenix had combusted in a Chinese village during the 17th century and had produced a nest of birds. All reborn from the remains of the same phoenix. That phoenix was said to be ancient. Maybe it is the same one…

"This is incredible," she says with an awed smile and looks at Kai. He stares at the eggs like he is stopping himself from reaching in. Bonnie narrows her eyes. "You can't take them."

"They won't notice if one is missing," he hisses and Bonnie cocks her head at him, pursing her lips. He is drunk. So is she, otherwise she would not be weighing up the pros and cons of getting caught.

"We'll get arrested."

He waves a hand, eyes aflame with the idea. "What coven do you think gave the hotel, the Clare witches, the bird in the first place? She comes from Greece, she's said to be thousands of years old. She's practically family!" he urges, gripping the bars and Bonnie looks around. Anyone trying to steal so much as a feather would set off an alarm.

"Kai! Where would you keep it?"

"I don't know, the family house?"

"It's wooden."

"Oh yeah…" he hums and then gives her a grin and Bonnie bursts into laughter. God she has missed this, the reminder of the fun they had in Greece. Still laughing they watch as the black egg topples and rolls down the ash bank and rests a few feet away from them. Kai gives her a wide eyed look and motions desperately at the egg with his arms. Look, he gestures, it wants to be adopted!

"I'm not going to prison because of you," she says and drags him from the cage and he fights the entire way, trying to persuade her and she almost gives in. The cage is built for one so the other egg will pass into private hands, never to be seen again. His coven could bid for it but apparently since selling the bird centuries before they have been unable to reclaim it back and stopped trying.

"Come on! You know some witch will spend a bijillion dollars for that egg and then just crack it and fry it for breakfast? They think they'll achieve immortality."

"Will they?"

"No, they'll just burn slowly from the inside out. Do you want that sunny-side up egg on your conscious?"

Bonnie says nothing, trying to keep from laughing as they pass witches cleaning up tables. They have stayed at the Menagerie hotel once since she return, the clear glass overhead now repaired. She felt sheepish about going in but they treat them no different, better even. Kai had tipped everyone very, _very_ well. As they reach the check in desk Bonnie brushes her fingers over the pocket of Kai's coat she wears and feels a bulge. Frowning she slips her hand into the pocket and her fingertips touch something smooth and conical. Something warm. It is as light as a feather.

"Oh god…" Bonnie grips the egg with her fingers, the heat seeping into her hand. It does not burn but it is hot.

"What?"

"We can't stay here."

"Why not?" he asks, looking a little concerned but when she motions at the pocket of his coat the look of concern vanishes. An hysterical laugh barks from him and Bonnie knows if people were not looking at them he would be spinning on the spot with glee.

"Oh god it's Christmas. Thank you Santa."

"This wasn't Santa," she moans and is about to turn but Kai stops her. He pulls her into his arms, his mouth by her ear. A man holding his wife, nothing strange.

"Stay. They'll never suspect anything if we act normal. We're here for a room and breakfast in bed. That's what we're gonna do. Instead of stealing towels and soaps we're taking something else, something they won't miss cause they don't know its there. It's not even stealing."

His voice is silky in her ear and Bonnie looks at him, her heart racing like mad. "Finders keepers? This can't be happening. We're acting like kids. _Bad_ kids."

"Fun isn't it? Okay, grown up leader faces on Bon," he says and then taking her hand he approaches the desk, the staff behind smiling as if they had just walked in and hadn't been whispering for the last five minutes. Ten minutes later they watch the door close to their private suite and only after Bonnie is sure the man is gone does she laugh. Kai sweeps her into his arms, hugging her in victory and then settles her back down. He rubs his hands excitedly, gleeful as she brings the phoenix egg out of the pocket.

The dark shell reflects their grinning faces and the colourful lanterns lining the walls. Cupped in her hands Kai traces a finger down it, closing his eyes and keeping them closed he hovers his hands over the egg. The egg is the length of his hands. Shifting orange light plays softly over the surface and Kai releases a shuddering breath. It sounds like the noise he makes when they touch each other now.

"So much power in there," he opens his eyes and glances at her. "What can you feel?"

"She's curled up inside, asleep. She's…dreaming," Bonnie strokes the shell and after taking off Kai's coat she places it gently in the folds of fabric. It sits in this soft nest and they get on their knees to watch as it shifts slightly and tiny ripples of light flash along the shell, the swirls of gold glinting. Bonnie thinks how they would look to anyone watching, both on their knees, both talking softly and laughing but not too loudly. Anyone watching would not expect to find a strange black egg nestled on top of a trunk at the end of the bed. They'd expect a crib.

"What – what is she called?" she had never inquired.

"Amara. It means immortal," Kai whispers and looks at her as she studies the whirls of gold over the egg. The name sounds familiar but she cannot place it. "Bonnie?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever happens next just know that I want to be with you," he says and the tone of his words, the finality, makes her stomach drop and despite the warmth waving off the egg she goes cold.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see," he looks at her chest for a moment, where a bone talisman used to hang. It is now back with Atticus as she has no need of it anymore and having any kind of tether to Qetsiyah makes her uncomfortable.

Bonnie cocks her head at Kai but he does not elaborate and when she opens her mouth to ask he leans forward and kisses her. The question, the egg and even the strange magic pumping through her heart are forgotten as he stands and picks her up. Wrapping her arms and legs around him they kiss as he lowers Bonnie down onto the bed. He remains on his knees, looking at her from under his brows.

Bonnie, still in her tutu and tights, rubs her silken legs together sensually and gazes at him with her own predatory expression. She motions with a hand and the black ballet slippers they forgot under the table appear by her side. She runs the dove grey ribbons through her fingers, enjoying the smooth sensation and then looks back at him. His eyes flick between the ribbons, her face and then her wrists.

Bonnie smiles and as the first ribbon is wrapped tightly around her ankle the magic inside her purrs and writhes. Magic that would like to consume ever wild drop stirs within him. She can taste it on his skin and the force behind his kiss. He can and will bear what she cannot contain.


	7. The Anniversary

**Hot Chocolate**

The Annual Halloween ball is held this year by the Regent of New Orleans and it will prove to be a solemn affair. The last time so many witches gathered under one coven roof tragedy struck, so Bonnie is anticipating a low turnout and those who do attend to leave early. The sense of closing ranks, of suspicion and the overhanging shadow of witches policing their steps put a dampener on the festivities.

The Armoury will be patrolling the event, which some covens view with disapproval while others breathe a sigh of relief. Bonnie loses sleep as the day approaches, the nauseous anticipation making her stomach heave. Joshua Parker had been accused and punished for the deaths of her family and where that is concerned the Armoury has closed the case but the deaths that transpired over the summer are not so easy to close and forget. They ruled it an accident but Bonnie and Kai know that someone is still out there, a figure in the shadows who has not revealed themselves. The Armoury, that clandestine organisation, must be as suspicious as they are. That had been almost five months ago and still she receives visits from them in Salem and Kai in Portland. He had dealt with their intrusion as civilly as expected…

Bonnie has never really had to deal with the law enforcement side of their society. When her mother disappeared she vaguely remembers them sitting in her grandmother's kitchen and a nice man asking her a few brief questions and that had been that. Her mother had only reached out once, to ask them to drop their investigation. She was never heard from again.

Bonnie sighs, staring up at the shadows on the ceiling as Kai shifts beside her. It's 3am, the sound of the sea a soothing resonances in the distance but nothing can calm the whirling of her thoughts. Magic lies heavy on her bones, trying to drag her back into sleep. It's grouchy.

 _Go to sleep you paranoid bitch_ , it would whine if it had voice, tossing one moment and then soothing her with a mother's caress the next. Bonnie closes her eyes, trying to fall into the rhythm of the sea and almost succumbs when Kai drags in a choked gasp of air and bolts awake.

"God!"

"Kai?" she sits up, waving her hand to light a candle by the window. Had she noticed the sweat coating his skin, soaking into his t-shirt? Maybe she has just got used to it. Kai is not an easy sleeper, he sometimes takes hours to drift off but the nightmares that have sometimes forced him screaming awake is new. Or so she thought.

"Sorry, I – I'll make a cup," he mutters, wiping his face as he gets out of bed.

Tea that staves off dreams and nightmares. The allocated amount that is prescribed is a week, usually for seers who need a break but any longer is not recommended. He has been drinking it for three months. Whatever plagues his sleep he refuses to share, shrugging it off with a joke but it must be bad for him to resort to this. It is starting to affect him during the day too.

"You know you can't escape them Kai, no matter how much you drink. They'll find you."

"Thanks for the totally non-creepy, sage advice," he grumbles and Bonnie sighs and follows him into the kitchen. His apartment is large, larger than it had been originally. They had designed it together, which she know regrets. He wants the space to be hers as much as his but she cannot move to Portland. The majority of her time is spent on the East Coast, liaising with her district leaders, responding to requests and more complaints and petty grievances then she has patience for. When you have a city like New York under your jurisdiction taking a swim in the Pacific with her husband is just not feasible, a much as she would like to. He understands, he is just as swamped as she is.

"Make some cocoa instead, it works for me," she sits at the island, smiling sweetly at him and he hesitates, back to her before reaching for the coco powder, the expensive stuff from France.

"Did I wake you?"

"No, I couldn't sleep. I keep expecting Armoury witches to swoop in."

"Me too. It's only a matter of time," he sighs regretfully and turns to her as the water boils. "At least the fire feature is a good shield," he says, motioning at the French doors and Bonnie sees the wedding bowl burning in the garden. They had moved the massive pillar of fire from the Parker mansion and transported it to Kai's place. He had managed to get the fire to a respectable height but it burns so hotly that none can peer too close. If they did they'd see a black rocklike object burning at it's heart.

"The egg. You know I'm surprised you haven't posted a million pictures of it from different angles."

Kai grins, sitting opposite Bonnie as he pushes a cup of hot chocolate to her. He shakes a can of cream. "It almost happened, I didn't wanna tell you. I swear it's getting bigger."

"Seriously what are we gonna do when it hatches? She can't stay here," she says and Kai pouts a little and dispenses a little whip of cream onto her coco. "Heh, don't be stingy."

"I'm not, I'm saving it for later," he says like this is obvious and Bonnie cocks an eyebrow.

"Oh…" she sips on the cocoa as he scoops some cream up with his finger and sucks it into his mouth, eyes mischievous. Bonnie gulps the chocolate down, which is delicious, and curls the cup against her chest. Cream moustaches her top lip but she carries on talking. "Halloween is approaching. I'm thinking of buckle boots and a pointy hat. Too obvious? Too vintage?"

"Ha. No, I think that's a good idea. No one will be wearing that," he says and grins at her and she frowns.

"What? What's so funny? Is there something on my face?" she touches her chin and cheek, trying not to laugh at his suppressed giggle as she avoids the cream under her nose.

"No, you – little lower," he instructs as she touches her throat.

"There's nothing there! You're just messing with me," she gets up and moves around to him. "Look closer, are you _sure_ there's something there?" she asks seriously and he laughs loudly before shouting as she suddenly leans over and rubs her nose and lips against his cheek. He tries to escape but she climbs onto his lap, smearing the cream over his face.

"You're gonna pay for this."

"Is it gone now?" she asks innocently, eyes wide and with cream all over her nose and chin. He allows her one smirk before she is flung up and then down onto the island. Laughing and struggling they lick cream off every inch of skin until the can is empty.

* * *

**Halloween**

There is no buckle or pointy hat in sight as Bonnie places her dress in storage. The skirts are voluminous, a red so deep it is almost black and they shimmer subtly. Tonight the ball will commence but she will stay a few days in New Orleans. The borders of her jurisdiction and The Regent's overlap and so the relationship between the Bennett's and the nine quarters has always been one carefully maintained. Especially as the Originals have now moved in, leaving Mystic Falls and the doppelgänger that resides there alone. Keeping tabs on vampires is not something she particularly wants to do but it is her duty to ensure that her coven and the witches under her protection are safe. Hopefully her dealing directly with vampires will be avoided. However as she enters Gloria's bar, an old Bennett witch who she will be staying with, she immediately spots her mistake.

"Witchy, how's the husband? Still psychotic I hope?" Damon Salvatore asks, standing beside his brother. Stefan inclines his head at her in greeting as Bonnie stops.

"What are you doing here?" she asks, exasperated. She knows that Gloria's is a place open to all, as long as no fighting occurs, but she had hoped that she would have a few peaceful days without vampires. The brothers, who had burst into her life like a storm, smile as someone answers for them.

"They're here because I invited them," Klaus says, walking into the room with Elijah and two other people. Elena Gilbert and Greta Martin.

"Greta?" Bonnie has not seen her since her brother's wake. Greta was now High Priestess of the Northern borders, lands that encroach on Canada. Like the south she is also Bonnie's neighbour. She wishes she could say that her relationship with her fellow witch was as amiable. Greta eyes her up and down and then dismisses her, turning her attention to Klaus. Bonnie pushes down the urge to hex the witch but only just.

"Bonnie, lovely to see you again," Klaus says and then kisses her cheeks like they're old friends. Bonnie blinks, stepping back but the ancient vampire stares into her eyes. "I took your advice."

"Advice?"

"That I should make more friends," he answers and sweeps an arm at the Salvatore brothers and Elena, who speaks quietly to Elijah. Bonnie looks back at Klaus. She had asked Klaus to reconsider his actions, the benefit of having allies rather than enemies. He _has_ taken her words to heart but Bonnie looks back at Elena.

"You weren't forced to come here?"

"No. We're in this together. If they're successful it won't just be their line that ends but also mine. No more doppelgängers," she says with hope and Bonnie wants to smile but she shakes her head.

"How do you know?"

"Greta did some digging. As leader of her own coven she has access to a plethora of forbidden and ancient texts. Prophecies. Doppelgängers and vampires are linked and once that bond is severed we can each go on our merry way," Klaus clasps his hands behind his back, coming closer. "Where's your Gemini fella?"

"He – he's arriving later," Bonnie says, trying to get her head around the fact that there is no bloodshed, no threats or manipulations. It feels too good to be true. "Whatever you're doing I'm not involved."

Klaus throws up his hands. "Of course, those days are long behind you. Just thought it would be polite to give you a heads up. Enjoy your party, love."

The vampire moves off to talk to Greta and Stefan and Damon approach her. She speaks quietly. "Are you really working with him?"

"Yup."

"You trust him?"

"Of course not," Damon scoffs. "He's our sire, his pathetic life is a cement block around our ankles so if he goes down so do we. If there's a way to nip that cord painlessly then it's in our interest."

Stefan nods. "They're close to finding their father. Mikael hates them all so they don't care if he dies or the vampire linked to him."

"Who's the vampire?" she asks and wishes she had said nothing. She should be bidding them good luck and goodbye, not poking her nose in. But something keeps her there, something hungry.

"Some artist in Monroe. Seems she knows we're on to her because she's hightailed it. Not sure who tipped her off…" Damon says as Klaus, Elijah and Elena walk over. Elijah nods.

"According to Katrina she is the only one who knows the location of Mikael. We must find her."

"Katerina? Katherine Pierce?" That selfish, double crossing vampire is also helping? The day just gets better and better.

"Like the good old days right?" Stefan asks, noting her bemused expression and she smirks at his deadpan tone.

"We just need Caroline and it's a party," she says and then looks at Elena sharply. "She's not here too is she?"

"No, she just landed a _big_ job," Elena explains and after a beat they start laughing. Of course Caroline would never jeopardise her career for anything. Out of all of them she has meshed her supernatural life with her human one successfully. Bonnie wishes she could.

"I need a drink," she sighs and she and Elena sits at the bar. Gloria, her short hair gleaming silver in the neon lights, winks at Bonnie. She has known the witch since she was a child. She knew _her_ mother when she was a child, come to think of it…

"The vampire we're looking for knew we were coming. Damon and Stefan found her home but it was rigged. They almost didn't make it out. Whoever she is she's got inside knowledge and she's not coming in without a fight."

"She's an artist?"

"She is and a gifted one," Klaus answers, sliding onto the seat beside her. Elena stiffens slightly before sipping on her drink, turning to speak to Stefan. Klaus shows Bonnie his cell phone, showing her paintings. "When we catch her I hope she survives solely so I can commission her. Look at the detail," he sighs and Bonnie remembers vaguely that Klaus likes to paint. The vampire who once terrorised them all has a tender artist's soul. She will have to tell Kai, he will love that.

Shaking her head she looks at the paintings, stopping on one that catches her eye. It's of a garden with raised flower beds but everything is dead. It's white and grey, ghost like and as she magnifies more and more detail emerges. Painting with vampire eyes must be an experience, she concedes.

"…It's sad," she whispers and Klaus nods.

"It's…neglect. That's the garden they found at her house," he adds as Bonnie straightens. Something about it bugs her, like she has seen the garden before but she has never been to Monroe in her life.

"Who's the artist?"

"Gail Wilson."

"Never heard of her."

"She's under the raider, has been for years. None of us knew of her except Kat," he says and scoffs. "She won't share how she knows, just that she's also a fan. I'll get it out of her when I find her."

"She's hiding too?"

"She offered the information for her freedom. Said I'd grant it if she brings me this vampire and the ritual is a success. Haven't heard anything since so she's either biding her time or she's doing the sensible thing and looking for Ms Wilson."

Bonnie listens to Klaus as he rubs at his eyes and she offers a soft smile. "Late nights?" she whispers and he stills and looks at her. He says that he wants more allies but Bonnie assumes that the only people in the room who know about his impossible daughter are her and Greta. It seems his trust only goes so far and she only knows the truth because of Kai's spying.

"Something like that. She - she's different."

"I'll bet."

"No I mean she's unique. She's a tribrid," he whispers. "If she ever kills she will become a werewolf. If – if she ever dies she'll become a vampire," his voices catches at this and Bonnie leans closer.

"And the third?"

"Right now she's a witch," he confesses and Bonnie's eyebrows jump. No wonder Greta is so close to the vampire and child, he needed inside experience. "She's already so powerful, maybe more than any witch. She's just getting stronger as she grows," he smiles and it is half proud and half terrified.

"You come from a family of witches," she says, remembering the now closed Mikaelson wing in the Archives. She wonders if one day it will be reopened…

"Yes. My mother, Finn and Kol had the gift and now she has it. Greta is trying her best, we all are but…" he trails off, looking into the distance and Bonnie realises that she is feeling pity for the Original.

"Sounds like you have a wonderful daughter," she says and means it. Klaus looks at her and then smiles. It is soft and genuine.

"Thank you. Maybe one day I'll introduce you. Not your husband though," he adds, standing. "Granted he's _deeply_ entertaining but he did threaten Hope. If he comes within a hundred feet of her I'll rip his vocal cords out."

"…I think he'd mourn the loss of that more compared to any other part of his anatomy," she says and Klaus smirks before she leans forward. "Of course if you do that I'll rip your balls off and make sure they never grow back."

Klaus barks a laugh. "Once I would have dared you but I've grown quite fond of them," he sighs and Bonnie leans back, snorting.

"I assume what happened was a once in a life time occurrence?"

"Oh yes and quite out of the blue. The following dad shock was immense, let me tell you. Nature wanted her to be born and so she was and I'll do everything in my power and beyond to protect that miracle."

His voice drops to a low growl, not a threat but a promise as his eyes flash gold for a moment. Then he is smiling that cherubic smile and bowing to her with a wink before heading towards his brother.

Bonnie looks back down at the phone he has forgotten on the bar and flicks through the paintings, the feeling of familiarity increasing the longer she looks. She smiles at the image of a laughing baby girl with blonde hair and knowing eyes before flicking back to the dead garden, in case anyone spots the baby. She is so engrossed that when Gloria reminds her that she has a ball to attend Bonnie almost doesn't hear but when the witch grabs her wrist Bonnie looks up. The dead garden surrounds them, thrusting up between tables and chairs.

"Oh my god," Bonnie gasps and the garden disappears instantly. The vampires blink in confusion and Bonnie turns to them and laughs weakly. "Sorry, my - my mind got away from me. Just a witch thing," she says and is relieved that Greta is gone. As she should be, the ball is starting soon.

Bonnie looks back at Gloria, who says nothing but eyes her carefully as she says goodbye to Elena and heads upstairs to get ready. Like Hope Mikaelson this is something that Bonnie has to hide but that will be impossible if she lets the truth seep out of her like gas. She has to be more careful.

* * *

**The Ball**

All thought of miracle babies and artistic vampires on the run are gone as she and Kai sit at the top table, watching displays of magic from witches who have come of age. Had it really been nine years since she performed her own only for the man beside her to railroad it? For his part Kai remains seated, clapping when appropriate but in her head he is making his displeasure known.

_This is so boring. How many times are we gonna see floating feathers and rain clouds? Where's the originality? We need to shake it up! Give them a reason to want to impress._

_It's not a competition. Maybe they realise that big displays of magic are not appropriate? Lots of people here have lost loved ones_ , Bonnie reminds him and Kai grunts something audibly disapproving.

_Of course it's a competition and if there was a reward then maybe it would be fun and I wouldn't be slipping into a coma. So because they died we have to endure sad witches making us even more miserable? Look, I think your grandmother is falling asleep._

Bonnie keeps the smirk off her face just barely as she looks at the lower table and sees her grandmother's eyelids drooping. Beside her Atticus is watching the display but his foot taps on the ground. Over the summer he has been working with her grandmother at Whitmore, effectively taking on the role that Bonnie once held, when he is not serving as her adviser. She cannot deny that this fills her with some jealousy. He is living her life, the one she would have lived if she never became coven leader. However having him close also helps with the volatile magic under her skin. He has researched all he can about the magic, had known a little about it because of his interest in Silas. He is the closest thing she has to an expert but he also has a calming effect on her and so on it.

"Bon?" Kai asks and she looks back at him. She has spent as much time as she could with Kai but getting her magic under control had been her second priority, after her coven duties. She has not shared how much time she has been spending with her adviser, not wanting the argument to erupt as it surely will. Kai will never trust Atticus and there is nothing she can say to change that and is starting to give up trying. Let them work it out between them like damn adults.

"Yeah?"

"…Look who's here," he says after a pause and she looks where he is motioning with his head. In the crowd watching the teenagers a woman in a billowing peach coloured dress stands amidst the sombre blacks and greys and she smiles with genuine delight at the magic before her.

"Annie Booth-Parker?"

"She's been in Portland for a few months but this is first I've seen of her. Others have followed from England," he adds and Bonnie smiles. His father had been rightfully concerned about the Gemini being split down the Atlantic but when Kai moved back to America a few European Gemini followed in his wake. Bonnie hopes more and more will come.

"Is it weird that I like your mistress? She's so sweet. Look at her whistling."

"She's not my mistress," he comments darkly, even as he grins, clapping as a petrified looking boy creates an illusion of a shadow that darts across the floor before he sends an arrow of light at it and it explodes in wisps and disappears. "That's more like it."

"Wannabe mistress, whatever. Have you had any more offers?"

Kai slumps. "Twice this week."

"It's harassment, you know that right?"

Kai shrugs, looking glum. "They won't stop until," he waves his hand at her stomach vaguely and Bonnie stiffens before he looks back at the crowd. "I think they're done, thank fuck."

The Regent stands, about to thank the participants for their achievements when someone steps onto the floor. Olivia Parker. Kai stiffens and then snorts loudly.

"Got something to show us? You're a few decades late sis," Kai says loud enough so everyone hears and the witches chuckle. Bonnie relaxes when Liv gives Kai a sardonic smile.

"Sorry to disappoint everyone but I don't have anything to offer, just a request."

"What would that be?" Vincent asks gently and Liv smiles at the Regent. More than smiles, she seems to take strength from it. She nods and looks at Kai.

"I request from my leader the right to be excommunicated."

The hall goes quiet and no one moves. Kai cocks his head. "You want to leave the Gemini? Is the pension that bad?"

"Yes but that's not why," Liv moves closer and Bonnie spots Armoury witches by the walls moving silently with her. If the curly haired woman is concerned she does not show it. "I – I've lived most of my life expecting to die, preparing myself for it and accepting the inevitable. Everyone knew that my brother Luke was more powerful and he would win the Merge. I never thought I'd be the twin to survive…" she swallows, voice wavering but she does not cry. Kai stares at his sister like he is hypnotised.

"…You know if you leave that's it, I can't take you back and you'll no longer be under my protection," he says and to her credit Liv smirks.

"Yeah I don't think I'll be crying myself to sleep over that big brother. I want to leave because I want to apply for a job but they won't accept me if I'm part of a coven," she explains and Kai looks at the shadowy figures lining the walls.

"You want to join the Armoury? Are you nuts?"

"Probably but it's what I want."

"You might fail the initiation."

"I won't," she answers sternly, chin lifted and Bonnie smiles. Kai looks at his sister and hesitates.

"…Fine. As Gemini leader I willingly grant your request. You are now excommunicated from my coven and no longer bound by the rules, sanctions or protections the coven offers. I and those witnessing no longer recognise you as Gemini," he finishes softly, almost sadly and Liv smiles, giving a strangely serious curtsey.

"Thank you."

"I guess this means no to Thanksgiving?" Kai asks suddenly and again the hall goes quiet as Liv cocks her head. She is on speaking terms with him and there have been no fights but Bonnie knows the wall between her and Kai stretches over a span of years. It is impossible to knock down. It must be climbed and for every accomplishment they will slip and stumble.

"…I'll let you know," is all Liv says as she marches off the floor and the witches gathered give a confused splattering of applause before Kai sits and the Regent calls the displays to an official close until next year.

Bonnie leans over to Kai, who looks troubled, gaze unfocused. "Keep trying, speak to her," she whispers and he nods, still distracted as the coven leaders around them get to their feet. The dance is about to begin but before Kai can ask the Regent offers his hand to her. Bonnie accepts.

"I'm sorry I haven't talked to you for so long," she says as Vincent leads her onto the floor as Kai looks for his sister to speak in private.

"It's okay, we've all had a lot on our plate," he says calmly and Bonnie smiles sadly. He had helped her when she got married, showing her the picture of the ascendant and offering what he knew about her family. Lucy. He had been so sure that she survived and Bonnie had started to believe it too.

 _She is dead. I would not have this magic if she and the others survived. They were the_ _sacrifices needed to make it possible…_

"I miss her too," she says quietly as violins strike up a slow, sad waltz. "She should be dancing with you right now, not me."

Vincent smiles. "Ah I'm sure she wouldn't mind one dance," he twirls Bonnie around before facing her. "I knew that it was possible but I had to hope. I loved her, I always will."

"I know and she knew that too. She was happy with you."

Vincent shakes his head, looking down and she sees tears lining his eyes. "It wasn't meant to be. I'm meant to marry Eva Sinclair but I ignored it. This is the curse, all of it," he looks back up as Bonnie shakes her head.

"It's not your fault. I know the curse is bad when you ignore it but this…" she shakes her head again. "I still think something or someone is to blame for this and I don't mean Joshua Parker."

"Either way I can't ignore it any longer. Vampires have moved into my territory and nothing I do can get them out. I'm just working for peace now. I'll have to marry Eva."

"Maybe – maybe you can make it work?" she says, thinking about Kai but Vincent shakes his head.

"You don't know? Eve is criminally insane. She's been in the Dowager Fauline Asylum for the last nine years. She tried to sacrifice children in a bid to harness dark magic and she almost succeeded. She's been locked up ever since."

They stop dancing as Bonnie tries to find the words to console him but none come. "I'm sorry, I had no idea. If – if there was something I could do…"

"It's okay. What you've done so far, you'd make Lucy and her mother proud," Vincent says, smiling through his tears and Bonnie hugs him. Kai watches from a distance, looking sad. He must have overheard. As Annie approaches Kai he looks away and Bonnie focuses on Vincent.

"Thank you. I'm trying," she confesses and Vincent steps back as the music ends. He bows, kissing her hand goodbye and Bonnie walks over to Kai and Annie. As the English woman comes into view she moves from behind a chair and Bonnie stops. The witch is pregnant.

"Bonnie! It's so lovely to see you again!" the woman beams, holding out a hand and Bonnie moves forward, eyes fixed on the swollen belly. Kai smiles but it looks strained.

"Annie's pregnant."

" _Really_?" Bonnie says and Annie giggles, hand on the bump.

"I know I look like a heffalump. I'm actually five months but look bigger."

"Twins?" Bonnie guesses and the witch nods. Morris approaches Kai and he reluctantly moves away as his adviser introduces him to a group of witches from Canada. Bonnie turns her attention to Annie, who sits at a table.

"Oh, my feet. Being pregnant is no joke. The acid reflux is a bloody nightmare," she groans, looking at a platter of hors d'oeuvres mournfully. Bonnie sits beside her, trying to calm herself. Since seeing the woman and her stomach the magic within her has pulled into a coil, a horribly tight one that will spring free at any provocation.

"So…you're five months?"

"Yes. I found out after the horrible business in London. My boyfriend was surprised but not as much as me," she laughs but the bubbly excitement fizzles as she taps a teaspoon against the table. She reminds her a little of Caroline.

"So it wasn't planned?"

"No. I woke up one morning and felt odd so I went to the family healer. Boom, pregnant…" she smiles, or tries to and Bonnie leans closer, keeping her voice down. Annie's body shimmers with a greenish hue but it is spiked with white. She is worried, confused and scared.

"Are you okay?"

"…I think so? It's just a shock. My boyfriend, he's lovely. Greek chap. We just started dating so it's all a bit sudden but he came to America with me. I thought my family would object but they practically fired me across the Atlantic."

Annie laughs but it fades at Bonnie's serious expression. "What did you tell Kai?"

Annie hesitates before speaking. "I – I've been ill, that's why I came here. The babies…they're literally quite draining," she says, trying to smile but she cannot hide the circles under her eyes or the paleness of her usually rosy complexion.

"Siphoners?"

"One or both, we suspect. Not – not many mothers survive so I wanted some advice. The Gemini, we're not very forthcoming with this sort of thing…"

"I'm sorry. We'll do all we can to help," Bonnie says and means it. The girl, because she is a girl, only nineteen is naïve, sweet and innocent. Her sloppy attempts to seduce Kai had been made under pressure from her awful family. The suspicions in Bonnie's mind, ones that make her magic coil like a snake, ease as she reaches for Annie's hand.

"Thank you. I can't really talk about this with anyone else. My boyfriend is just as mystified as me, started muttering about immaculate conceptions. Can you imagine?" she laughs but it dies when Bonnie gasps and jerks upright as her fingers come into contact with Annie's. Her mind is suddenly blasted with images and noise, a cascade of sensations and she has an impression of the woman's saying something, shouting for help when Bonnie falls to the floor and passes out.

* * *

**The Playground**

Twins swing through the air, the chains above squeaking. Trenches appear in the sand as their sneakers trail back and forth. A boy and girl. Another set of twins swing beside them, and another and another. All boys are identical, all girls identical…

A bell is rung and the children stop running, looking towards the noise. A large farmhouse sits atop hill, a forest beyond that meets the base of a snow capped mountain. The numerous twins move toward the farmhouse but two remain, reluctant to follow.

"I hate it here," the girl says and her brother nods. They look at the sand at their feet. They could run away like before but they always get caught. The punishment is not worth it. They have to be patient.

"Six more years until we're sixteen. Then we can perform for the leaders and win."

"They don't let twins perform together and only _one_ person wins."

"Then I guess one of us better because whoever does gets to meet the Gemini leader."

Gemini. Such a silly name for someone so powerful and so awful. It's his fault they're stuck here, all of them. Like cattle…

The boy smiles and looks up. "If I win I promise I'll give you credit."

"For the magic I give you? You better!" she pushes him and they race to the house before their brothers and sisters eat all the food…

* * *

Bonnie jerks awake, sucking in a breath and a dark shape moves into view. She blinks, and closes her eyes.

"Bonnie? You okay?" Kai asks and she opens her eyes and his face swims into focus.

"Yeah. What happened?"

"You fainted."

"I what?" she sits up and sees that they are in a familiar office, her grandmother's. They are at Whitmore.

"People starting freaking out and we brought you here," Annie says and Bonnie turns to her. She is sat in a chair by the desk, Atticus beside her. He smiles, cocking his head.

"She says you blacked out when you touched her?"

"I swear I didn't do _anything_ ," the blonde says defensively and then looks at her stomach guiltily. "But they sometimes zap people."

Bonnie blinks, trying to remember. Had she been attacked? She had felt no pain, just a wave of images and then that odd dream. "I saw something; I mean I had a dream. Twins," she says and Annie brightens. "A boy and girl but there were more; like fifty of them and they all looked identical," she says but when she tries to focus on their faces she cannot remember.

Kai looks at Annie. "Are you secretly a rabbit?" he asks and Annie narrows her eyes scathingly at him and it makes Bonnie smile. She pushes Kai gently as he sits on the arm of her chair.

"Leave her alone. I mean all of them were identical, like - like clones. They were on a farm I think, at the base of a mountain"

Kai grows still before shrugging. "Hmm, freaky dream. Anything else?"

"They hate you," she answers sweetly and he places a hand against his chest, overcome with emotion. Bonnie rolls her eyes and pushes him again but Annie looks between them in concern.

"A farm? They end up on a farm?" she asks worriedly, looking at Kai as Bonnie answers, trying to appease her fears.

"It was just a dream. We might be powerful but clones are a little bit sci-fi for us."

"You won't let them end up on a farm will you? If something happens to me?" Annie asks Kai desperately and for once he does not mock her. He goes to her and gets on his hunches.

"No, they won't end up on a farm. I promise."

"Good."

Bonnie stares at them in confusion as Kai rises to his feet. Annie stands, Sheila helping her up and they move towards the door in her office that leads back to the ballroom. From the looks of it the party is over.

"I'll get Annie back over to Portland," Sheila says, patting Bonnie's arm as she passes. "Don't let them mess with my stuff or I'll have their asses," she warns and Bonnie smirks, looking back at Kai and Atticus. Her husband sits on the desk as Shane crosses his arms by the window. Once Annie and Sheila are gone Bonnie goes to Kai.

"Why was she so worried about a farm? I know she probably never gets her Louboutins dirty but I doubt her kids will be cattle hands," she scoffs but Kai does not laugh. He looks at her carefully, silent before speaking.

"Remember when I told you that Gemini twins are split up? Well that's usually potential leaders but some smaller covens like to follow tradition. A lot of us are sent to boarding schools but those who can't afford it, or are siphoners, are sent to smaller schools called farms."

Bonnie blinks, understanding. "Foster care facilities? Is that where you grew up? A farm?"

"Only for a few years and it's not an actual farm. No cows to tip over, just other kids. I uh, kinda burnt mine to the ground and no other place would have me so I went back home. Josette stayed at a nice school but because of her condition I could visit her sometimes."

Kai's twin had the inverse of Kai's ability, she produced too much magic and needed Kai to siphon the excess before she lost control and died. The twins she dreamed about, what if they had been Kai and Jo? A vision of the past rather than the future? But that would not explain the weird clones. It must have been a dream but with a touch of the truth.

"Annie is carrying siphoners," Bonnie says and Kai nods.

"One at least," he answers and eyes Atticus suspiciously who is reading a journal before moving to Bonnie and speaking low. "What did Annie tell you? About her pregnancy?"

"She thinks it's the immaculate conception," Bonnie answers and is only half joking. Kai nods and looks at her heavily.

"Did you feel anything when you touched her? I – I thought I felt something."

Bonnie shakes her head and voices what they're all thinking. "If they were mine I'd know it, right?"

"Right."

The suspicion that an early pregnancy had been transferred into a surrogate had been on Bonnie's mind for months. They have no proof that she had conceived and Kai was sure that while in London she had not been pregnant. If the Gemini wanted to strike London would have been the only time to do it. She touched Annie and passed out, overwhelmed with images that solidified into a strange dream but she felt no connection, no sense of something that belongs to her. She had not even felt Annie's presence until she caught sight of her, as if she had been cloaked.

"My magic would detect if something wasn't right."

"You fainted as soon as you touched her. Isn't that a little suspect?" Atticus finally speaks up and they turn to him. He lowers the leather bound journal he had been reading, a diary that she has seen him with many times over the summer. It's almost as precious as his copy of Silas' grimoire.

"I guess but I know what I felt. I'd know," she answers with firm finality and Atticus nods, backing away. Kai sighs, ignoring her adviser completely and pulls her out of the office and into the halls of Whitmore. Her sparkling ball gown and Kai's tux make for an unexpected sight as students gape at them and some even bow.

"There's a diner here right? Let's get a burger and some fries."

"Dressed like this?"

"It'll put a smile on the cook's face."

"Yeah, especially as it's almost midnight."

"Come on, it's our anniversary," he cajoles as they exit the collage and walk through the grounds. Hundreds of glowing orange pumpkins line the paths and buildings. Bonnie snorts.

"My god we haven't even been married a year and you get our wedding anniversary wrong."

Kai rolls his eyes and laughs, placing his arm over her shoulders. "No. It's been nine years since I saw you at the Mall. Halloween, remember?"

"I remember a kid sucking on a milkshake and I think you had a skateboard? What were you even doing there?"

"The usual, flirting with girls and Bernie," he answers and Bonnie laughs, remembering the harassed stall owner in the mall. "I was there to meet Luke," he explains lightly as they enter the diner, which is still open, especially for Halloween. They order and sit at a table, the waitress eyeing them before shaking her head and cleaning up a booth opposite.

Bonnie stares at him thoughtfully as he sucks on a chocolate milkshake, their food delivered. "What you did for Liv, that was a good thing."

"I almost declined. Letting the Armoury have access to my sister feels wrong but there's no way she'd give in. The initiation is tough, some crack but she can handle it," he nods and Bonnie smiles gently at him and he looks down, dipping a fry in some ketchup. "She's also the only person with inside access."

"A spy?"

"Gotta know if they suspect our egg poaching ways," he says, biting his fry in half and Bonnie's groan turns into a laugh. They may treat it like a joke most of the time but the fine for stealing a precious phoenix egg would be heavy. Not to mention what it would do to their credibility, well not so much Kai's but hers…

" _If_ she'll tell you anything. She might be stationed half way across the world too," Bonnie reasons and Kai shrugs. Every coven has an armoury witch on staff, a liaison with the department. Bonnie has not been allocated hers yet and she knows Kai had flat out refused while in London.

"We'll see. So how's New Orleans?" he asks, imitating the accent and Bonnie tells him about her strange meeting at Gloria's that afternoon. When she informs him that Klaus will rip his throat out if he goes near his daughter Kai pouts.

"They think someone tipped the vampire off. Katherine was the only one who knew where she was, this Gail woman, so I think it's her."

Kai pulls a nonplussed face as Bonnie bites into her cheeseburger. "So they need Elena and her semi skimmed immortal blood to unlink them."

"She's not immortal."

"She gets reborn every five hundred years. Dies and lives again. Sound familiar?" he asks and Bonnie narrows her eyes as she thinks of the phoenix waiting to be reborn in his garden in Portland. Could they be connected in some way?

"Well if they're successful Elena thinks her line of supernatural succession will end. You still think it'll help you? With your link?"

He shrugs, finishing his burger. "Can't hurt to observe. But if this Gail person eludes them it might take a while. Think we should help them out? Locating spell?"

"I thought you didn't want me to get dragged into their business?" she asks shrewdly and he smiles thinly.

"I don't mind who you help Bon, just as long as you get something out of it. This could benefit us...well me."

"Hmm. So they have Elena but what's the key to unlinking you from the coven?"

Kai freezes, straw on his lips before he looks down at his empty plate. "Along with some other ingredients the blood of my favourite ancestor."

"Silas? Where will you get that?" she asks and an image of a statue comes to mind, a king on a throne before she dismisses it.

"Blood bank?" he shrugs and sucks up the last of his shake. "So…your place or your place?"

Bonnie smiles coyly over her milkshake. "My dad is out of town…"

"Yes!" Kai grins, not bothering to hide his excitement and after scattering a couple of bills on the counter he drags Bonnie from the diner. She wraps her arms around him, concentrating as vibration runs through their bodies and with a roaring noise they appear before Bonnie's childhood home. With this magic the effort costs her nothing.

* * *

Like a guy bringing his prom date home Kai walks her to the door and then breaks in with magic. Bonnie informs him too late that she has a key but he pushes her against a wall and reaches under the many layers of her dress.

"Jesus, it never ends," he groans, tulle and lace a glittering barrier between them and she laughs loudly. She finally feels his hands on her bare thighs when a light suddenly switches on. Kai and Bonnie freeze and then look up.

"…It's after midnight," Rudy Hopkins stresses, staring down at them sternly from the landing. Bonnie pushes Kai away so quickly he bangs into the opposite wall. She hastily brushes down her skirts as she smiles up at her father.

"I thought you were on a business trip?"

"Cancelled. Goodnight Bonnie," he says tiredly, eyes sweeping to Kai and staring for a full five seconds before he turns and disappears into his room. When his door clicks shut Bonnie slumps against the wall and Kai laughs quietly, rubbing the back of his head.

"God he hates me so much. He'd kill me and bury me in the backyard if he caught us having sex on the stairs."

"Shush," Bonnie presses her finger against his lips and then taking his hand she leads him quietly up the stairs and into her bedroom. She thinks about going to her own apartment but the idea of Kai sleeping in her childhood room is too delicious to pass up. He looks at the burgundy throw over on her bed, the white furniture and smiles when he spots something familiar on her stand. He picks up the snow globe, tipping it over before putting it back down.

"Not a dream…" _Swan Lake_ splays softly as she sighs and sits on her bed. It squeaks as he joins her and rocks against the mattress, making the frame creak loudly.

"Stop that!" she smacks his arm and he catches her wrist, grin stretching his mouth. He kisses the back of her hand.

"We're married…" he whispers and she nods.

"I know but not here. It's weird."

"I'll do it on the floor, I'm not fussy," he laughs when she stands, but he catches her smirk. She moves between his legs, fingers threading though his hair. She gazes into his eyes and he relaxes, breathing deeply as she leans down, her mouth brushing over his cheek before settling on the corner of his lips. When he tries to kiss her she pulls back. He growls and smiles, relenting as she settles another butterfly soft kiss to the other side of his mouth and then lands a flurry of them along his jaw and down his throat. He breathes heavily, hands fisting the covers as she pulls the tie loose from around his neck and drops it to the floor. She straightens, fingers curled into the opening of his white shirt before she pushes him down onto the bed.

"Don't move," she orders quietly and he complies, watching her from under his eyelashes as she grabs a pillow and places it on the floor. She gets on her knees, shuffling closer and when her hands run up his legs he jerks, saying her name. She flicks her eye up to his. "Don't speak or touch. If you make a noise I'll stop."

He closes his eyes and lets his head fall back, smile curling his mouth. She pulls off his shoes and her own before tracing his belt with her fingers. His erection strains against his trousers and she gives the indention the faintest brush. Kai's knuckles go white. Bonnie smiles and begins to slowly pull his belt free, tugging his hips up to snake the length around. She looks at the belt and considers but her bed would not survive him pulling against it. She drops it and grips his thighs in her hands and his muscles flex.

"When I first saw you in the mall you only looked a few years older than I was. I thought you were eighteen or nineteen. You packed on a lot of muscle since then. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have that Kai on top of me," she whispers, scraping her fingernails down his fly. Kai leans up and his eyes are smouldering.

_…I'd eat you alive back then._

His silky voice enters her head and she purses her mouth but relents. He is not technically speaking aloud and she should probably follow suit.

 _The first time we made love you told me what you wanted to do to me when I was sixteen. Pull me into a dark_ _room and eat me out? You know I had a boyfriend at the time right?_

_Ha! Fuck him. I'd do it even if he was standing outside. Especially if he was outside. God, Bonnie…_

The voice in her mind trickles off into a groan and she grins as he slumps back down. She slides the zip down slowly, tooth by metal tooth and his chest rises and falls quickly, quiet as he holds his breath. Trousers open she draws her fingertip down his cock still trapped in his boxers. He exhales and a stream of expletives and pleas enter her mind and she gives a low laugh before she pulls his boxers down and his hard length springs free. He pants, leaning on his elbows and Bonnie gives him a slow smile before she blows cool air along his cock. Kai groans and his head falls back.

_I'm going to fist you after this, I promise._

Bonnie stills, hands flexing on his legs at the sudden image that enters her head and it is her turn to stop breathing. His eyes meet hers and he nods and she tilts her head. A challenge. She looks back down, her chest heaving with anticipation before she licks her lips and again Kai grows still. She is still getting to know the ways of his body, likes and dislikes, as he is with her. However unlike her Kai is very vocal about it. She blows hot air against his stomach and he jerks, twitching before she then takes a long, slow swipe from the base of his cock to the tip with her tongue.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck…_

She grips the base and then slides her lips around the tip of his cock, sucking lightly and then bobs her head twice before releasing him. He says nothing, just grabs the covers in a death grip. She licks her lips again, working saliva onto her tongue and then parts her mouth and swallows his entire length.

_God, yes!_

He jerks, hands hovering over her hair as she deep throats him, pauses and then sucks back up slowly. His fingers twine in her hair and though she warned him not to touch her she is too turned on to care. She blows and sucks on him, jerking her hand, head bobbing unrelenting now and he grips her head, trying not to fuck into her wet mouth.

 _Imagine this is when we met_ , she says into his head, _would you want this?_

_Yes, I wish she had been you! More. More! Please don't stop…god I'm gonna come._

_Good. I want to swallow you._

Kai moans aloud and she reaches up and covers his mouth with her hand. He grips her wrist while the other is still buried in her hair, now unable to stop bucking into her mouth, pushing her against him. Breathing through her nose she licks the tip, teasing and then takes him in as deep as she can, sucking until he loses even the ability to make sense in her head.

_gonnacum…yesyesyesgonnagonnagodsogood._

Drawing back up Kai spills into her mouth, hands keeping her head in place as he fucks her mouth, leaning over her now with his teeth clenched like an animal but when his orgasm peaks he moans her name, mouth open and then falls back onto the bed as she swallows and releases him, still jerking her hand along his softening length. She sits back on the floor, breathing heavily and when he comes back to his senses he sits up and looks down at her.

"You sucked my soul out, it was that good."

She laughs and then gasps when he swoops down and picks her up but doesn't push her on the bed. He makes her stand and then kneels quickly. His hand moves under the layers of her dress and skims her bare leg with his fingers before he comes to the wetness coating her inner thighs. He grins up at her, devilish. He tugs her back down and moves her into the same kneeling position as before and gets behind her, chest against her back.

"I've put sound proofing wards around the room so don't hesitate to scream my name as loudly as you want."

She is about to ask if he really has done it when his fingers hook into her panties and pulls them down her legs where they hang around her knees. Bonnie is pushed tight against the edge of the bed and she grips the covers as he had done. His hand cups her vagina, her arousal collecting in the palm of his hand before he brushes two fingers along her core and she shudders. She watches the door, mouth parting as Kai slides two fingers inside her gently but she's so wet he enters fast. He growls happily in her ear, thrusting before pulling out and then adds a third finger. Bonnie moans, spreading her knees apart but her knickers will only go so far. He works her for a long time, almost getting her to the edge numerous times before drawing back. Bonnie whimpering his name Kai tenderly kisses the skin below the nape of her neck, body covering hers as his fingers slide in and out.

_Has anyone done this completely with you before?_

_…No._

_Good._

His fingers move faster, harder and the weight of him against her back stops her rocking. When he enters a forth fingers she clenches and he stops, whispering in her ear until she relaxes and he begins thrusting again until all four fingers slip in and out with ease. Bonnie lowers her forehead against the coverlet, moving her hips back against him so that he enters deeper each time. She pants and begs, gasping for air and when she feels a pressure against her clit she cries out and bites at the cover. Kai groans with her and she knows he's rock hard again.

_That's it, god you're so wet. You ready?_

"Do it, so it, do it," she begs, not realising she had spoken aloud but when he pulls out and then pushes all fingers back in very, very slowly all thought stops. Her eyes roll back as her eyelashes flutter and she looks like she is having a seizure the pleasure is so intense. The coverlet under her hands smoke and Kai leans up and pins her hand under his left one, stopping her setting fire to her bed and then herself. He fists her gently, hardly moving and she almost blacks out from the sensation and when the pressure against her clit begins grinding hard she does black out.

"…Bonnie? Bonnie? Shit."

* * *

Soaking in her old tub she lies against his chest, smiling. She has not been able to get the smile off her lips since she woke to Kai looking down at her in concern. However once he realised she was fine and he had given her an orgasm so good she fainted he had to drag her into the bathroom so they could celebrate without her father bursting into the room.

"Happy anniversary," he whispers into her ear, arms around her soapy body, and Bonnie laughs contently.

* * *

**Nightmare before Christmas**

Deep snow settles over Mystic Falls, turning the already picturesque town square into fairy tale scenes captured in saccharine postcards. Lights and mistletoe festoon lamps and trees, illuminating the festive stalls and grinning town folk who rush to buy last minute presents. Today is the town's annual winter festival, a celebration that Bonnie had missed attending for the last few years.

"Who pays for these festivals and parties? Why do you have so many?" Kai asks as they watch candyfloss spinning around in a silver bowl. Thanksgiving had come and gone and Kai had enjoyed the day immensely, especially the meal he cooked for her. Not because it was a time when family usually came together but because his did not. It was his favourite holiday because he didn't have to go home and pretend to care about a family who did not care about him. Christmas however was the occasion that Kai had to partake in, before 1994…

"It's tradition. Like stringing popcorn and wearing novelty sweaters…" Bonnie says innocently and Kai gives her a heavy lidded look. Whilst in Portland she had found a stack of old photographs in a shoebox and while she had cooed at baby Kai, awed at spotty adolescent Kai but she had almost died at the sight of him and his twin sister in matching red Christmas sweaters. Their wide, unabashed grins make her laugh even weeks later.

"But it's just a small, boring little town."

"Exactly. You have to make your own fun."

"Sure, pencilling them in around the full moon and vampire rampages must be fun," he deadpans and Bonnie purses her mouth. Kai's sarcasm is not strange but his recent prickly petulance is.

"Ok Scrooge. I think there's a poor little boy over there on crutches you can kick over. Will that make you feel better?"

Kai's mouth thins and he smiles, scratching his forehead through his beanie. "It might?" he laughs and slips his arms around her, pulling her closer. "This time of year always sucked, even before I had no one to celebrate it with."

Bonnie nods in understanding. "Well I _love_ Christmas and I promise it won't suck. I invite _everyone_."

He groans as they begin walking again, passing stalls that sell hot mulled wine and roast chestnuts before they reach the centre square where Santa's grotto is set up. Children line up with their parents, crowding around a pen where a herd of reindeer munch straw.

"Fucking Rudolph," he grumbles, shaking his head and Bonnie laughs when he narrows his eyes at the jolly Santa getting his picture taken with a child on his knee. Bonnie looks back at Kai and smiles sweetly, cocking her head and Kai narrows his eyes at the devilish glint in her eye.

Two hours later they slide back to Bonnie's apartment, drunk on wine and a hectic snowball fight. She giggles at the pictures on her phone every time she looks: Kai sat on Santa's knee, his shoulders hunched up in joy with the biggest grin on his face. She hadn't even had to persuade him that hard before he was pushing in. After that he had kissed her under every sprig of mistletoe they came across, to the point she started to suspect he was using magic to make them appear. Now Bonnie looks up at her door and sees an infestation of mistletoe growing directly out of the wood of her doorframe. He gasps in dismay.

"How odd. Fun fact they're actually parasites. I hope it hasn't spread."

"I swear if there's any more in my apartment I'll – "

"Kiss me?" he grins, leaning down slowly and Bonnie crushes her mouth against his, making him stumble back and hit the door.

"Yes."

* * *

That night Bonnie sleeps deeply, content in the warmth of his arms but as that heat fades she starts to shiver and wakes with a jolt. The covers are thrown back below her knees and Kai is no longer in bed. Yawning and rubbing her eyes Bonnie pulls on a thick bathrobe and pads out of her room. Her apartment is tiny and she soon finds him standing by the window. The view shows a dark and snowy wood.

"Kai?" she yawns again, looking at the time. It's after 1am. Kai not being there when she wakes is a familiar occurrence but seeing him now sends a shiver through her. He stands with his back to her and she stops moving when she realises he is not looking out of the window but actually staring at the wall. His eyes are open.

_Sleep walking?_

He had done that twice but always woke up and never had his eyes open. He had told her that he had stopped taking the herbs to prevent dreams weeks ago and she believed him. He had been improving, hadn't he?

"Kai? Are you okay?"

"If you don't come I'm gonna kill them…Do you want that?" he says, his voice quiet but wavering. Bonnie tenses, heart starting to race. Kai leans his forehead against the wall and sighs. "It was an accident…but the next time it won't be. So come and get me."

"Kai?" she whispers, straining to move but unable to.

"…It didn't hurt. I promise… but if it did would it make you get off your ass? The magic is…" his voice shudders out with an almost erotic moan. "You don't give a shit do you? They're not even backups, they're rejects. Guess I'm doing them a favour…You have to come you fucking asshole!" His hand slams against the wall and Bonnie jumps, fingers pressed against her mouth. She blinks, eyes dry but she cannot look away, cannot move.

"W – wake up!" she mutters, reaching out a hand but then another noise sends her arms snapping back to her chest. Children scream and Bonnie spins around, searching through the dark and when she hears running footsteps by the door her paralysis breaks. She rushes towards the sound as children cry and she unlocks the door, wanting to help but as she turns the handle the door slams shut. Kai pants against her back, his hand pressed flat against the wood.

"Nothing personal sis," he says and his voice is devoid of any trace of emotion. Bonnie jerks to the left but his hands clamp around her shoulders and she screams in pain as he begins viciously siphoning her magic.

"Kai! Stop! It's me!" she yells, managing to duck down and out of his arms but he grabs her and spins her around. His teeth are bared in a rictus grin but his eyes are dead. Pushing her back, hands around her arms, Bonnie yells loud enough to wake her neighbours.

 _No, we sound proofed the apartment! Oh god…_ Bonnie screams again as magic, that volatile wonderful magic, is ripped from her veins and into his. The dead eyed look in his gaze starts to flicker as his mouth falls open and he moans loudly.

"Oh god," he chokes out and with a look of horror Bonnie sees black veins spreading along her arms and then up his, like he is drawing poison from her. They shine black and red in the dark. His arms wrap around her suddenly as he groans and pushes her against the door. Feeling close to blacking out Bonnie screams with a rage she does not hear and slams her hands against his chest. No spell passes her lips but he is sent across the room and falls to his knees. But the pain does not stop. He throws out his arms, fingers spread and the ichor running out of her into his glowing red hands keeps flowing.

 _He can siphon without touch?_ Bonnie thinks before she falls to her knees, teeth gritted as she starts to slide towards him. She tries to knock him out with magic but he shreds her spell apart and absorbs it before it can land. He hyperventilates and with a swoop of shock and relief she sees terror in his eyes.

"…Bonnie?"

"Kai?! Can you hear me? Stop this, please?!" she begs but as she gets within a few inches of his burning hands Kai roars and collapses to the floor. Stillness settles, the dark and silence broken by their panting and then pleas as Kai begins to mutter.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop," he repeats it over and over, his voice thick and when he finally lifts his head his eyes swim. "…Bonnie?"

She sits up, body shaking and swallows convulsively. She nods stiffly. "It's me."

"I – I don't understand. I was dreaming and -"

"You weren't fucking dreaming," she screams and places a hand over her mouth. Kai blinks rapidly, jaw clenching she looks down at his hands braced on the floor. He shakes his head, sweat pouring down his face.

"I didn't see you. I _swear_ I didn't know it was you."

"Then who?" she whispers and when he lifts his head she sees tears rimming his eyes. He has avoided talking about his nightmares for months.

"…You know. The – the kids."

Bonnie nods, biting the inside of her cheek. "You were hallucinating. You're still taking herbs, aren't you? Different ones so you weren't technically lying to me?" she asks shrewdly and when he nods after a pause she gets unsteadily to her feet. Disgust twists her stomach, along with fear. "You hurt me."

He stares up at her from his knees. "I'm so sorry, I – I wasn't here, I wasn't here. I swear I had no clue it was you. I was fucking gone, checked out," he explains with a desperate anguish, tapping his temple and Bonnie nods stiffly.

"Has – has this happened before?"

He shakes his head, wiping his face. "No. You were right, they chased me," he leans against the couch and drags himself onto it, shaking. She hesitates, still disturbed but then sits down with him but at the very end of the couch. He sees the distance and buries his face in his hands. They remain in silence until her heart starts to calm.

"When did this start? Why?"

Kai rubs his hands over his face before running them through his hair, elbows on his knees. His face is half in shadows as he stares at the floor. "Seriously after London and the funerals. I - I went to the Gemini plot in Portland. I – I hadn't visited Jo or Luke or anyone else. I thought I should pay my respects, I even wrote them a letter," he laughs hollowly, hands now hanging limps between his knees. He does not look at her. "I wanted to apologise, I thought it would…I don't know what I thought. I stood before my family, half of which were in the ground because of me, and ran away," he stops, shaking his head and Bonnie feels tears welling in her eyes.

"You asked me to stop going to wakes and memorial services. They got to you too?" she had not considered.

He nods, not looking at her, has not since he started talking. "I couldn't take it. When I visited the plot I visited everyone, even Elliot and Lenora. There were more and for a moment I couldn't understand why. None of the names were familiar, didn't go to any of their funerals and then it hit me. Of course I wouldn't have gone, they wouldn't invite the reason they're all dead. Stupid, right? My dad had them buried on the plot, even the siphoners…" he lifts his head with a tired sigh and finally looks at her. "I think I disturbed some spirits that probably never wanted a visit from me. After that the nightmares started and haven't stopped."

"…Kai," she whispers, moving closer but he gets to his feet. He shakes his head, haunted eyes blazing with self-hatred.

"I could have killed you because I was a coward. I deserve worse than fucking nightmares." He moves into the bedroom and Bonnie follows as he starts getting dressed.

"What are you doing?"

"Going."

"Where? It's the middle of the night."

"I don't care. I can't be around you like this."

Bonnie grabs his arm as he pulls a t-shirt over his Henley. "You're really walking out on me? On Christmas Eve?"

Kai slumps, staring at anything but her. "…I hurt you."

"You did. You really scared me but I know it was an accident. I heard you, you thought you were speaking to your dad, begging him to stop you," she whispers, hands still wrapped around his arm and he looks at her. That haunted, anguished look is impenetrable.

"All the people I hurt in the past are dead because of me."

"Liv is alive and so are your two other siblings." They have no magic and no connection to the Gemini any longer but they're alive.

Kai shakes his head. "Because they got lucky, if I can call it that. We were never much of a family but you?" he sighs and cups her face tenderly. "You mean more to me then all of them, than anything. I need to make this right."

"…How? Therapy?" she quips, only half joking while trying to ease the horrible tension. She sees the faintest curl of his lips before he pulls back gently, shaking his head.

"I've been thinking about it for a long time, I know what I have to do but I didn't want to. I was scared but this is worse," he says as he sits down on the bed to put his boots on.

"I don't understand. Are – are you coming to grams with me tomorrow?" she asks quietly and it feels like her heart will break under the weight of his silence. Kai sighs and gets to his feet.

"I'll be there. I just can't be here right now," he explains softly and Bonnie wants to nod in understanding but she remains still. She has forgiven him but he still looks at her like he is bleeding.

"…You were able to siphon my magic without touching me, from across the room. You've never done that before," she says and he tenses. Since she harnessed the magic from the sacrifices Kai had been noticeably careful about siphoning from her and the one time he had he had broken out in a sweat and could hardly speak for the rest of the day.

"I've never done it like that before. Your veins…" he looks down at his hands, where her magic had spread and then clenches them. "I have to go."

Bonnie watches as he grabs his coat and heads for the door, indecision immobilising her before she runs after him. "Please don't promise that you'll be there tomorrow if you're not. I can't take that…and the curse will probably set the town square on fire," she adds, again only half joking. Kai turns back, looking like he wants to push her back into the apartment and shut the door behind them. Instead he gazes at her deeply, a foot between them.

"I'll be there, I promise," his eyes flick to her lips and he leans forward, breath playing over her mouth but then he makes a snarling noise and turns away sharply. Bonnie wavers like a cord has been painfully snapped between them as he walks away.

Only once she hears the security door open and click close below does she realise that the magic inside her is quivering and poised on a knife edge. If he had touched her again it could have killed him.

* * *

**Family**

Christmas finds Bonnie Bennett stuffy nosed and red eyed, watching _The Grinch_ in her grandmother's living room. Her father helps Sheila prepare food, keeping his distance. His last attempt at prying into what has her so upset had caused her to blow up every light bulb in the house. Atticus jumps down from a chair and Bonnie waves her hand at the Christmas tree. Multi-coloured lights flash and twinkle and she sighs with relief. Her adviser had to venture out to get some new lights after her melt down.

"There, all fixed."

"Thanks. I'm sorry, I just - "

Shane holds up his hands and sits on the armchair across from her. "It's okay, nothing broken beyond repair. So, has his heart grown three sizes yet?"

"No, he's still a miserable bastard," Bonnie grouches and Shane chuckles. Her adviser, since the death of his second wife, has spent Christmas alone. His parents are dead and he has one living family member, a cousin in Australia. Bonnie had to badger him for a week to accept and she is glad she did. At least one man arrives on time…and in the sweater she gave him too. Snowmen dance across her own chest, blue to his green. She had got Kai a red one with Rudolph on the front…

"He'll come," Shane says softly, breaking into her thoughts and she looks away from the screen.

"How do you know?"

"Trust me."

Bonnie snorts, reaching for her grandmother's sherry. "Kai doesn't."

"Why do you think he'll come? No way he'd leave you alone with _me_ at Christmas," he utters theatrically in his ridiculous sweater and Bonnie giggles.

"He's so…annoying," she fishes around for the right word and settles on something inferior to describe what he is. "He hides from things rather than face them. I think a part of him must have been thankful for the prison world. He probably wishes he was back," she utters nastily and Atticus gazes at her seriously and lowers his voice.

"Do you believe that?"

Throat feeling tight and eyes prickling she shakes her head. "No. He was right to run and we both know why. This – this magic," she motions at her chest and her voice shakes. "He looked like he wanted to eat me and I think it wanted him to try."

"But you didn't. This is early, early days Bonnie, you're still getting to grips with the power and yourself. You have to trust yourself."

"Why?"

"Because I think if you don't it won't either," he says ominously and Bonnie blinks, staring at him. Qetsiyah had said that you need an iron will to master this magic but if she doubted herself would it in turn? It has a mind of it's own most of the time, like an untamed horse, and if it thought she was not worthy…?

"That's creepy," she shakes her head with a spooked laugh and he smiles, leaning back. "It's Christmas, Halloween is over."

"Christmassy stuff? Okay. Got a carrot and pack of cigarettes?" he asks and she laughs.

"Is Santa a smoker?"

"Oh yeah, didn't you know? We'd sometimes leave cigars but he preferred Camels."

She grins at him, sighing. "Did you do that with your son?"

Atticus blinks and then shakes his head, smiling softly. "No. Sam wasn't old enough. He was eighteen months old when he – when I lost him."

"I'm sorry," she reaches over and takes his hand. His green eyes are glossy but he does not cry. It has been nine years since his son and first wife died in an accident. He smiles, pulling his cell out.

"Wanna see some pictures?" he flicks across the screen as Bonnie nods eagerly. A baby with curly golden brown hair and familiar wide set green eyes peer up at her. He is beautiful and she tells Shane this, tears in her eyes. At first he tells her haltingly about his son, his likes and dislikes, but his voice grows stronger as he speaks, as if the baby smiling shyly up at them from the phone is just in the other room.

"Look at his eyelashes, they're longer than mine."

"All real too."

"Asshole," she laughs and slaps his arm lightly. He gazes down at his baby, nine years dead, and Bonnie grips his arm. "You always have a place here."

He looks up with surprise. "Th – thanks. It's been tough, for all of us. I'm lucky to have a boss like you."

Bonnie frowns at his smile. "You're not just my adviser, you're my friend. Aren't you?"

Atticus nods after a pause, eyes gazing at her deeper every second. He licks his lips, eyes lowering before staring at her. Does he look guilty? "Bonnie I -"

"Kai is here," Sheila says suddenly from the doorway and Bonnie jumps to her feet. Whatever Atticus was about to say remains unspoken as she follows her grandmother into the hall and finds Kai waiting in the doorway with a bottle of wine in the crook of one arm and Olivia Parker in the other.

"Hope we're not too late?" he asks nervously, eyes darting to her and away.

"He kidnapped me from Portland and forced me to wear this," Liv deadpans and Bonnie sees that both wear novelty Christmas sweaters. Kai presses the red nose on his chest and after elbowing Liv she sighs and squeezes her sweater…which starts to sing _We_ _Wish You a Happy Christmas._

"Is this really happening?" Sheila whispers to Rudy behind her and gets a yup in return. Kai grinning madly, his sister looking like she's sucking gasoline Bonnie quickly ushers them and their sweaters into her grandmother's house and shuts the door.

* * *

An intensely awkward and surreal dinner follows, where each guest seems to be in silent competition to see who can get drunk the quickest. Bonnie has had a head start so when they finish desert she is singing along to Liv's sweater, who is the runner up.

"I think the battery is running out," Liv says as Santa now sounds like a demon with the flu and they both laugh hysterically.

"Press – press it again," Bonnie snorts, tears falling down her face but as Liv lifts her hand Kai suddenly appears and roughly tugs the sweater over his sister's head. He had stuffed his under a pillow, after ripping out the speakers.

"I will gag you with this if you press it one more time."

"Try it. _You_ were the one who forced me to wear it. I kinda like it now," Liv watches sadly as Kai flings it over and behind the tree.

"Oh well, I guess we're still in the sweater club," Bonnie says to Atticus, who is helping Rudy pick up plates. Sheila looks at Liv and cocks her head.

"You too wasted to help with the dishes?"

"…Shouldn't the younglings be doing that?" she waves her hand at Bonnie and Kai, who snort. Liv narrows her eyes at Bonnie. "I'm almost old enough to be your mom." Liv is now in her late thirties, a few years younger than Kai.

"I keep forgetting you're the same age as my dad," Bonnie slurs as Rudy stiffens while picking up the cutlery.

"All righty. I think Bonnie could use some air," Kai says and mutters as he motions at the garden. "Your dad wants to cut out my heart with a blunt spoon most of the time, don't give him more ammunition."

"Maybe I wanna," she says as they enter the chilly yard and she slots her hands under her shoulders. In the dark her sweater flashes and she spins around slowly.

"Bonnie…" he voice shoots through the drunken fog and hits right into her chest. She stops, back to him and stares at the greenhouse at the end of the garden.

"…You went to Portland?"

"I went to the Menagerie first. Got _totally_ wasted and woke up on Liv's couch. I'm not sure how I got there…" he comes closer and she turns to him. She wishes she had not got drunk because it has done nothing but exacerbate the emotions crashing around inside her.

"Are you frightened of me?" she asks and he blinks in shock.

"What? No. If anyone should be asking that it's me."

"You haven't touched me since you arrived," she whispers and he swallows and looks down, nodding.

"I want to but I don't think I should," he confesses gutturally and Bonnie cocks her head, moving close until only a few inches separate them. Kai breathes in a deep breath and holds it.

"Close your eyes," she says softly and he looks up, gazing at her in question before he does as she requests. She closes her own eyes, steeling herself and the magic in her blood before she lifts her hands and gently cups his face. He shifts, exhales and then opens his eyes.

"I wanted to stop but it just kept on coming, like it was infecting me."

"You attacked and it attacked you back," she whispers and he nods, lowering his head again. "Whatever is in me is not like anything else…and now neither am I. You can't keep me in the dark and not expect me to do something about it…or it does. Do you understand? I don't have control over this yet and I don't know what I'm capable of."

He looks up again, gaze fierce. "I didn't want to lay that crap on you. It's my burden."

"I get that but you're not in a bubble anymore Kai. What affects you touches me. I can't lighten the load or make you feel better about what happened but I am here to listen. Okay?"

His lips tug. "You're suggesting I should talk more?"

"If not to me than someone else." It has not escaped her notice that Kai has no friends and even before his imprisonment he confessed to only getting close to people to use them. "When you were released those times who did you talk to?"

"There wasn't much talking involved, except to ask if they were legal," he says and laughs at her scathing expression. Bonnie narrows her eyes with a knowing smile.

"I think you spoke to someone when you got out, maybe in disguise? So much so that he gave me a potion to stop you talking for a few hours."

Kai gasps in betrayal. "Bernie?!"

"You went to that poor apothecary owner and offloaded like you were paying him by the hour."

"How do you think he still has a stall after all these years? I'm like his silent benefactor, Magwitch to his Pip," Kai jokes but then grows serious. He sighs and pulls Bonnie down to sit on the swing seat. "He thought I was nuts because I told him the truth…but I did it mostly to fuck with him. I had no need or drive to appease my guilt because I didn't have any. Not then," he adds and Bonnie nods.

"You were lonely…what about now?"

"Now he'd pay _me_ to fuck off if I really started crying on his shoulder."

"You've got mine," she says and though her mind is still buzzed from alcohol she is clear headed about this. Kai stares at her without speaking. "I asked you try to make it up to those you hurt and you've been doing that without telling me," Bonnie says and he opens his mouth but she lifts a hand. "It's all right. I know you've been writing to the mothers of those you killed."

He shakes his head. "I had to do something. When you had that weird dream about the farm I had a look into the running of them. I got in contact but I didn't realise until I got a response that I had been to a few before…" he looks pale as he speaks. "Most told me to walk back into prison and never show my face, which I won't. Others…"

"Others?"

"Two of them want to meet me, come to Portland," he looks deeply troubled. "I didn't think I'd have to face them or that they'd want to."

"What do they want?"

"…To ask why I did it? To curse me in person?" he shrugs and rubs his eyes. "I just wanted them to know how sorry I am and if I could do anything they wanted."

Bonnie nods, leaning against his side. "Sometimes sorry isn't enough…"

Kai gazes at her deeply, his shame still raw. "What can I do for you?"

"…Don't take those stupid herbs anymore for one. Write down what you remember."

"A dream journal?" he laughs but then grows quiet. "I heard they become more vivid if you do that."

"Sometimes that lessens the fear, when you can really see something for what it is."

"You're a very wise drunk Bon."

"I know," she sighs and then they laugh quietly. Kai cups her face.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

* * *

The following week Bonnie spends with her friends, all anticipating the New Year. Talking over a platter of fries in the _Mystic Grill_ they talk of mundane things, relaxing into the familiar groove of idle chatter that has nothing to do with the supernatural.

"Did you hear about Amber Bradley?" Caroline asks Bonnie, straw between her teeth.

"No. How is she?" Bonnie had not seen her in years, not since the 2007 Founder's Ball. Stefan had attacked her, fed on the poor girl for hours. She was lucky to be alive.

"She's missing," Elena announces sadly. "They think she might be dead, she's been gone for months."

"That's awful, what happened?" Bonnie listens intently as her friends discuss their old highschool friend's disappearance and gets a sinking feeling. With a sure sense of leaden certainty she knows that Amber is dead but she does not wish to destroy her friends hope. Police are still looking, her family…battling what to say Bonnie lifts her eyes and spots Jeremy Gilbert and Tyler Lockwood approaching them. She has not seen or spoken to her ex-boyfriend in a long time and though their separation was painful she smiles warmly at him in greeting. Whatever hurt she felt for him cheating on her is gone, though the insecurity of the betrayal sits deep.

"Hi, how are you?"

"I'm good. Sorry I missed you at Christmas. Gonna be here for New Year's?" Jeremy asks as he kisses his sister, who makes room for him and Tyler. Bonnie opens her mouth to answer but someone beats her to the punch.

"Nope, thank god," Kai beams down at them, hands in his pockets. Everyone stiffens and not knowing what else to do Bonnie stands up and motions at him.

"This is Kai Parker."

"Her _husband_ ," Caroline stresses and Tyler cocks an eyebrow as Kai puts his arm around Bonnie's shoulders. He waves.

"Hi."

"You're not staying for the New Year's Eve party?" Elena asks and Bonnie shakes her head.

"We're going on vacation, just for a few days. Greece," she adds, smiling and Kai nods. They have wanted to go back to the island but also because the phoenix egg is days away from hatching and Bonnie had gotten an idea of where to keep it…

"Any closer to catching your vampire?" Kai asks Elena, who shakes her head stiffly. Kai makes an awing noise and then reaches into his pocket. "This might help."

Bonnie looks down and sees him handing over a page from an A to Z map. A small town is circled, with a date and time. As Elena takes it with a bewildered look an intense feeling of foreboding descends on Bonnie.

"You did a locating spell?"

"Got bored waiting. I wanna see what happens," he says excitedly and Jeremy scowls.

"My sister could die doing this ritual."

Bonnie stiffens but Kai just smiles pleasantly at her ex. "She could also die of old age waiting for you lot to catch this woman. Happy Holidays," he beams at Elena, who narrows her eyes.

"This is a gift?"

"Yeah. She won't know you're coming this time, made sure of it," he says helpfully and Bonnie shakes her head as Kai steps back, bringing her with him. "It was nice to meet you all. I hope you don't die."

"…Thanks?" Caroline says and Tyler shakes his head and starts drinking her milkshake. They had moved in with each other recently, after Tyler got promoted to deputy. Bonnie smiles and then looks up at Kai as they turn away.

"You got bored waiting?"

"Haven't you?" he says and with a shock she sees Atticus waiting by the door. Had he and Kai arrived together? Since Christmas she had seen them talking quietly a few times and the last time had caused the pleased feeling in her stomach to drop.

"You know what the consequences are if you succeed," Shane had said as he and Kai stood in the snowy driveway of gram's house. Kai had given a terse reply.

"One I'm sure you can't wait."

"I know you don't care and _I_ don't care if you believe me but it's a good thing, what you're doing. I think it'll work," he said with quiet confidence but then stopped talking when he saw her approaching. He and Kai moved away from each other and neither would tell her what they were talking about. Kai only telling her it was a surprise. Why that involves colluding with a man he can barely tolerate she could not guess. As she and Kai reach the street outside the Mystic Grill they turn to Atticus.

"Your flight is in two days. I've kept your arrival quiet, so there shouldn't be a crowd this time," he tells Bonnie and she thanks him. She had to tell him about the phoenix egg, needing to share it with someone else. He had only laughed at her for an entire day, rather than calling the authorities.

Kai looks disappointed. "I like it when they scream my name."

"I bet you do," she says suggestively and he smirks down at her. Atticus looks away, clearing his throat and Bonnie looks back at him.

"I'm heading back to Whitmore, unless you need anything else?"

"You should probably know Kai just gave Elena the location of Gail Wilson, so you might wanna keep me in the loop about that," Bonnie says and Shane looks at Kai and smiles innocently.

"He knows," Kai answers and then wraps his arms around her. As the spell to teleport them away begins to thrum through her body Bonnie opens her mouth to ask how he knows but then the world disappears in a swirl of murky light.

* * *

**New Year's Eve**

Ice spreads down the cavern wall, where once a small waterfall ran. The Greek island during winter is freezing but the ice begins to melt almost instantly as the heat from the egg spreads through the cave. Kai pulls his gloves off with his teeth as Bonnie removes her scarf. Candles burn all around the cave, ringing the hole in the ground. She thought about filing it in but that would not dissolve the quiet but thick grief surrounding them. The once forlorn and forgotten place now looks and feels like a sacred temple. Each candle carries an invocation, a solemn wish for peace.

"It's melting," Kai says, removing his coat as the heat increases. The phoenix does not break through the shell, it dissolves it. "I thought it was gonna happen on the plane."

"Thank god it didn't."

Getting the egg over from the states had been a carefully planned event. They had flown in a private jet but even so the prospect that the cloaked egg would burn a hole in the aeroplane was on both minds for hours. It was a relief to finally get on the ground again.

The egg, resting on a rock, begins to glow, the gold patterns over the black shell illuminating the walls. They watch from a distance, both heavily warded but a sudden blast of light and heat makes them throw up their arms. They remain unhurt and blink in the dimming light to see a small peacock like bird flapping it's wings experimentally and a sweet feeble song fills the air.

Bonnie gasps. "Oh my god, look at her," she smiles at the bird, who is about the size of a pigeon. Fully grown she will be massive but confined to the island, which is cloaked, she will experience more freedom then her silver twin still in the Menagerie cage. Not for the first time Bonnie wishes the other egg had dropped into the other pocket. The black plume is fully on display, the ends tipped with a swirling gold shape like a peacock. She is beautiful, resting in the still burning remains of the shell.

"Better do this now," Kai inhales and turn to Bonnie. The smile on her face dims at the look of total apprehension on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asks as he kneels down and pulls a box out of his bag and what looks like a lamp. At first she thinks the dark velvet box is a gift, holding jewellery and when he opens it she sees she is right. Bonnie smiles, about to thank him for the necklace when she looks closer and freezes.

"Qetsiyah's talisman?"

"Yeah. I asked Shane for it and he put it in the box for me. Couldn't touch it otherwise, well not without my hand going numb," he explains and stands. Bonnie shakes her head, realising that the lamp is actually a jam jar with fire trapped inside. Kai settles it on the ground.

"That's burning oil from our wedding bowl."

"This is what you and Atticus were whispering about together? Why?"

"You said it yourself at the ball in London. The talisman is the binding agent that keeps the wedding curse intact."

"Supposedly, that's what Atticus thinks," she comes closer, looking between him and the box before she takes it from him. He sighs.

"I've been thinking about it. She spoke with you and for her she was talking to someone in the future. She saw you with her necklace when you told her she would curse us. She's super smart right? She knew that one day you'd have it and what it meant. You asked her to forgive…maybe she did, maybe she will."

"Okay but why bring it here?"

"…Phoenix fire can destroy anything, if you ask politely," he whispers and Bonnie blinks and despite the warmth of the cave something icy floods through her.

"You want to break the curse? If that happens…"

"The fire in the jar will go out and you'll be free to walk away. You and everyone," he adds with a small smile but his eyes are fearful. "I knew when I got the idea, the obsession really, that if I married you you'd be stuck with me and I loved it. You would be mine because the alternative would be worse. You wouldn't curse your family and refuse, you'd agree and be my wife…What I did was wrong and it still is."

"…is this your way of asking for a divorce?" she asks and he laughs.

"Sort of? I mean technically we'd still be married but whatever curse she put on the ceremony will be removed. Last time we were here I said that we began backwards. We didn't date and get to know each other…I still want to, whatever happens."

"But we have been," she says, touching his chest and he smiles.

"I know but I don't want that to happen because some crazy ancient witch put us in a cage that zaps us if we argue. What happened at Christmas," he says and his voice catches. "You should have run after that."

"But I didn't and you're not the only one with a dangerous secret. You know how close I was to killing you that night? If that ichor had reached your heart…" she shakes her head, eyes wet and he pulls her into his arms.

"It didn't. I want to be with you and if we're not I'll pretty much lose my mind…but I want you to be with me because _you_ want to. I love you so much, maybe too much but I won't trap you if there's a way out."

Bonnie smirks, looking up at him. "We're not in prison."

"We are and every other married witch. That's the cell," he motions at the box in her hand and Bonnie looks down. "Her fire can break the curse."

Bonnie nods, looking at the bird, who appears to be napping and she can hear a faint cooing noise. Blue fire rings her like a nest and she suspects the fire will cool as she grows, only to grow hot again when it's her time to be reborn.

"Do you want this?"

"I want you, with no strings."

"…I could leave one day," she says it gently and he inhales, clenching his jaw.

"But you could come back and it would be your choice. No pressure," he adds with a smile and she smirks, walking over to the phoenix. The bird opens her golden eyes, lifting her elegant neck and coos loudly.

"Hi. Um, I don't know if you understand me but I need your fire. We – we want to burn this," she says awkwardly, feeling stupid speaking to an immortal bird like this but as Kai comes to her side the small bird stands, flapping her wings to fan the flames.

"You sure?" he asks and Bonnie nods.

"I want to make it work, I want to try because I love you," she says, looking into his eyes as he smiles gently. "I don't understand it but removing this means it's up to us now. We can walk away or stay together. We both have a choice. Everyone does and everyone should."

He nods and watches silently as she swings the bone above the flames before he grips the talisman, hissing in pain as he rips it from its cord and then throws it into the fire. The phoenix sits back down as the fires erupt and they stumble back as the talisman begins to melt. Clutching hands they gasp as a noise like thunder blasts through the cave, making the candles flare. The fire trapped in the jam jar roars upwards, shattering the glass but with another cracking noise it dwindles and then dies.

"It's out, it's broken," Kai shudders and she nods. They did not need the wedding fire as proof, she can feel it. The oppression over their heads is gone and she only realises how heavy and surrounding it had been now it's lifted. The bird flaps her wings once before settling and the flames around the cave lower and with it comes a sense of peace.

Bonnie turns to Kai. "So…what now?"

They look at each other, lost for words and go back to staring at the phoenix as she falls asleep.

* * *

**The Divorcees Dance**

The taverna is filled with witches celebrating the New Year. Fireworks whizz and bang into a starry sky but the official display will commence in an hour, where they will line the harbour and see in 2017. Atticus had been right about no one knowing of their arrival and when they make their way through the rowdy crowd to find a table no one gives them second glance.

"I'll get us some drinks from the bar," Kai says and leaves Bonnie to watch couples dancing. Lucia, the woman who had given her a fertility necklace during the summer, dances slowly due to being pregnant. Bonnie smiles wistfully, lost in daydreams when a gasp makes her look up.

"Anassa?" Agatha looks down at her through a pair of gold novelty glasses shaped liked stars. Bonnie smiles and gets to her feet.

"Hi! How are you?" she asks and laughs when she is pulled into a bear hug.

"I knew you were here! Was it you? We all felt the curse breaking. Did you do it?"

Bonnie nods, pulling back. "Me and Kai. We wanted to talk to you about something, in private," she says quietly as people sing and laugh drunkenly. They could not leave a phoenix alone on an island, someone would need to check up on her and they only trust Agatha. But now is not the time to discuss something so important and when someone shouts for Agatha she struggles to leave.

"There's so much I want to ask! Gah, I have to go before Demetri lights the fireworks too early. It happened last year," she says and Bonnie laughs, squeezing her hand and then she is gone. Bonnie sits back down as Kai approaches, looking for their table and when his eyes land on her he freezes.

"Hey?"

"…Hi?" Bonnie frowns, laughing as he comes towards her slowly.

"We met during the summer. Remember? Your husband stood you up," he says and Bonnie sits back, not saying anything as he stands with drinks in his hands, smiling awkwardly. He clearly wants to play. She cocks her head and leans forward.

"Kai, right? You walked me home, or tried to. I'm Bonnie, in case you forgot. How are you?" she asks, falling into the old charade they had once performed after a fight. This is different but it feels just as needed. Just as then their life has suddenly shifted onto another path.

"Divorced. You?" Kai shrugs and Bonnie laughs loudly, unable to stop so she invites him to sit down. He does so gratefully but confused, cocking his head.

"Sorry. I – I'm recently divorced too."

" _Really_? Huh, what a coincidence."

"Another one," she says, motioning at him. "What are the chances that we'd see each other again?"

"I know. Must be fate."

"Must be," she smiles as he hands her a rum and coke as he swigs his beer. Bonnie thanks him, fingering the straw. "So…what brings you here again?"

"Oh, I like the company," he says, winking at Agatha as she waves at them from the bar. He looks back at Bonnie, elbows on the table. He smiles shyly. "I was kinda hoping you'd be here."

"You were? Why?"

"I…well I wanted to know how you were. To be honest after that night I couldn't stop thinking about you."

Bonnie lifts her eyebrows at this confession, sucking her drink through the straw, cheeks heating despite the pretence. "I thought about you too."

Kai grins, leaning back. "Thank god, I thought it would sound weird."

"Oh you're weird," she says and they laugh, staring at each other for a long time before they look down. Bonnie clears her throat. "So you're not here with anyone…special?"

"I am," he says, smiling at her softly and she ducks her head again, nodding. Kai laughs. "Was that smooth?"

"Very. Before you were a little awkward but that was silky."

"I was gonna follow up with a compliment but I didn't wanna push it."

"What compliment?"

"You've got really nice eyebrows."

"Yeah?"

"Nice arches. Do you thread?" he asks and she laughs, shaking her head with a wince.

"Sliding back into weird and awkward again."

"Sorry. Guess I'll keep the others to myself," he drinks as she nods, grinning at him. They sigh at the same time and look at the people starting to drift out of the taverna.

"The fireworks will start soon. Do you want to watch them with me?" Bonnie asks and he smiles, nodding.

"I'd love to."

They rise and walk to the harbour together, the town's inhabitants surrounding them. The atmosphere is crackling with excitement and Bonnie feels it deeply, the need to say goodbye to a year filled with death and so much change, not all of it for good. They all want the year ahead to be softer than the one still hanging on by its nails. Something gentle. With the destruction of a curse and the auspicious birth of a new phoenix the year is off to a good start.

"So do you have any resolutions?" Kai asks as they find a spot by the crowded harbour wall to watch the flotilla out at sea. She shakes her head, shivering in the sea breeze. She has a coat on but it's thin.

"Haven't thought about it. You?"

"Never make them…here," he says and takes off his black coat and puts it around her shivering shoulders. It swamps her but it's warm. She smiles, thanking him as his scent envelopes her. She breathes deeply.

"Sorry to hear about your divorce. Was it amiable?" she says and he looks down from the sky to her.

"…Very. She's pretty much my best friend, my only one," he adds with a strangled laugh and Bonnie cocks her head and moves closer to his side. He is wearing a thick sweater over lots of layers but his shoulders hunch in the cold.

"Maybe that can be your resolution."

"What?"

"Make more friends," she says and he laughs, nodding. He leans down and closes his coat around her, tugging her forward. She smiles. "Do you still love her? Your ex wife?"

"Yes. Forever…" he looks up, his fingers buttoning the top of his coat around her throat. "What about your ex husband? Do – do you still love him?"

She nods. "Even more."

Kai exhales, his breath misting the air and they gaze at each other so deeply, so completely that they miss the countdown and blink as if waking from a dream when the first fireworks explode over the sea.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" the crowd screams in Greek and English, laughing and hugging their neighbours. All the houses of the town suddenly sweep their doors and windows open, letting the brisk wind rush through their rooms to sweep out the old dust and bad atmospheres that have collected over the year. Can a person feel like that, Bonnie wonders as a sense of clean space and freedom opens up in her chest.

"Happy New Year," Kai whispers before he leans down slowly and gently presses his lips to hers. It is an achingly soft kiss, like a man touching something too precious and holy to endure it for long. He pulls back, his hands holding hers against his chest and Bonnie smiles. Around them people sway, singing, while others watch the sky.

"Will you dance with me?" Bonnie asks and he inhales, tilting his head before agreeing. She moves closer, sliding her arms around his body to lock her hands behind his back. She presses her cheek against his chest as they begin to move in a slow circle, his fingers stroking through her long wavy hair.

"I've wanted this since the moment I saw you."

"Hmm, I thought you wanted something else?" she looks up, mouth pursing and he rolls his eyes with a smile.

"I'm talking about our fake first meeting during the summer."

"Oh…don't break character."

"Ha," he grins and then twirls her around before gathering her up in his arms again. "You're a much better dancer than my ex. At last I think so cause she never danced with me."

"Really? I can see why," she says and then screams when he digs his fingers into her sides and she squirms, laughing. "I'm kidding. It's too cold to move," she moans and hugs Kai again, who must be even colder than her. Kai moves them until he has her pressed up against the harbour wall, chest against her back and arms around her body. Fireworks cascade down from the sky, the display reaching a frenzied crescendo and they grin. It is spectacular, a magical feat. Literally.

"If we never met you'd be seeing in another boring year in Mystic Falls."

"Excuse you. Who do you think organised those displays?"

"Caroline?"

She pinches his thigh as he laugh before she grips the wall again. His fingers lace through hers. "I'm really happy."

"Good," he kisses her as a huge firework explodes in a golden fountain and then streaks across the sky like shooting stars, never fading. Golden embers float through the darkness to fall gently on the heads of those gathered, until they glimmer like gold stardust.

A blessing from one witch to another.

* * *

**Coda: The Birthday Girl**

Kai had given Elena Gilbert the whereabouts of the sole vampire that Mikael had sired, the last one left. He had given her a date and time, which coincided with Bonnie Bennett's 25th birthday. On the eve of this birthday Gail Wilson looks at the battered diary, tapping the scribbled phone number and time below it so much it starts to smudge.

"Damn," she stops, swallowing and looks at the clock on the wall of the bus station. It is almost time, they will be here any moment. Clenching her fists she slots the old diary into her beg. She had been looking at the number for the last nine years, she knows it by heart.

"Two minutes…" she watches as the greyhound bus pulls up and if her heart could gallop it would be racing across the terminal and across the state. Gail promised she would be here, promised that she would call on exactly this date, at exactly this time. She had broken so many vows that this would just be another to add to the long list but she reminds herself that the forgiveness she never thought possible is hers and had been hers for the last nine years.

"This is so freaking…God. Okay, I can do this," she mutters and then picks the phone off the nook and dials the cell number, watching people disembark from the bus desperately. The phone rings and as Bonnie Bennett steps off the greyhound outside Whitmore she pulls out her phone, frowning at the unfamiliar number and answers it.

"Hello?"

Gail opens her mouth, trying to speak but her throat closes. She licks her lips, watching the beautiful young woman through the glass frown.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Bonnie asks, becoming annoyed and as she starts to lower the cell Gail finds her voice.

"Wait! I – I'm here."

Bonnie stiffens as Atticus Shane walks over to her with her bags. He starts to look concerned; lowering the bags but Gail only watches Bonnie. Her heart pounds, strange blood flowing.

"Who – who is this?"

"It's…It's me. It's your mom."

Bonnie opens her mouth, blinking rapidly and then her eyes snap to hers. Separated by a sheet of glass and a few meters Bonnie Bennett stares at a woman she has not seen since 1994 and then shakes her head.

"No. You – you can't be. You're -"

"A vampire, I know," she utters with a weak smile, still speaking through the phone as tears fall down her cheeks. "I've really missed you."

Bonnie breathes heavily and the glass separating them starts to flex and Gail – Abigail Bennett-Wilson – grips the phone in her hand as anger starts to burn hot in her estranged daughter.

"Why are you here?" she hisses, chest heaving with contained sobs.

"Because you told me to. I had to come here and call the day before your 25th birthday," she explains with a sad smile and Bonnie grits her teeth, every inch of her shaking.

" _No I didn't_."

"Not yet but you will," Abigail explains patiently and the glass between them suddenly shatters and explodes, sending a million shards into the air like rain.

* * *

**_a.n:_ **

_The end, for now. I have a sequel all planned out and I hope you'll want to read it. Thank you for reading this and commenting, I don't think I've written so much in such a short span of time and that would not be possible without bonkai shippers encouragement._

_Please let me know what you think? Thank you!_


End file.
